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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: hide · race · spell · track · bat · pitcher · wax · staff

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  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. staff — employees
  2. race — the arms race
  3. spell — magic
  4. track — to keep track
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. race — humankind
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. race — a contest
  10. staff — a stick
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. track — a song
  15. staff — employees
  16. track — a path
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. spell — letters
  19. wax — to grow
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bat — the animal
  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