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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: wax · kid · race · craft · file · club · court · roll

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a document
  4. court — of law
  5. race — a contest
  6. wax — to grow
  7. court — of a king
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. roll — a list
  10. race — humankind
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. kid — child
  13. club — for dancing
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. craft — boats
  18. club — for golf
  19. kid — to tease
  20. roll — a cake
  21. file — a tool
  22. club — a group
  23. race — the arms race
  24. court — for sport

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