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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 · race · mouse · chest · roll · file · spring · pop

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. roll — a list
  3. pop — soda
  4. chest — of your body
  5. pop — to visit
  6. wax — to grow
  7. file — a document
  8. race — the arms race
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. spring — the season
  11. file — a tool
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. race — humankind
  14. file — a line of people
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. chest — a box
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. spring — of water
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. chest — of your body
  21. race — a contest
  22. roll — a cake
  23. spring — a coil
  24. mouse — the animal

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