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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 120 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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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: wax · race · lie · object · perch · rule · straw · plane

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. lie — to recline
  3. wax — to grow
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. plane — a tool
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. rule — government
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. object — to protest
  14. race — the arms race
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. race — a contest
  19. object — a thing
  20. rule — a law
  21. object — an aim
  22. perch — the fish
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. lie — an untruth

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