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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: rush · file · race · saw · bass · sharp · wax · straw

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. file — a line of people
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. race — a contest
  5. sharp — clever
  6. saw — the tool
  7. file — a document
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. wax — to grow
  16. bass — low music
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bass — the fish
  20. race — the arms race
  21. rush — hurry
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. file — a tool
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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