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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ground · wax · tear · race · bulb · snap · scale · fan

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. ground — the earth
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. wax — to grow
  6. ground — a position
  7. bulb — for light
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. race — humankind
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. race — a contest
  12. tear — to rip
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. race — the arms race
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bulb — for light
  19. snap — to click
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. scale — size or range
  22. ground — crushed
  23. scale — in music
  24. wax — in the ear

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com