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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 120 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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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 · board · wound · present · pass · staff · race · rest

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — to grow
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. present — the time now
  6. board — to get on
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. board — a committee
  9. rest — what's left
  10. race — humankind
  11. pass — a permit
  12. rest — a break
  13. race — a contest
  14. staff — a stick
  15. staff — employees
  16. present — there
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. wound — an injury
  19. present — a gift
  20. staff — employees
  21. rest — what's left
  22. race — the arms race
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wound — an injury

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