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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: file · cue · race · spell · band · wax · ball · rush

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. race — humankind
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. spell — magic
  5. race — a contest
  6. file — a tool
  7. band — a ring
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. file — a document
  11. band — a music group
  12. wax — to grow
  13. ball — a great time
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. race — the arms race
  16. spell — letters
  17. cue — a signal
  18. cue — for pool
  19. cue — a hint
  20. rush — hurry
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. file — a line of people
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. spell — a short time

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