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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 · rest · march · rash · chest · race · rule · bass

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. march — the month
  4. rest — a break
  5. race — a contest
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. march — music
  8. chest — of your body
  9. rule — a law
  10. chest — of your body
  11. rule — government
  12. bass — the fish
  13. march — the month
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. race — humankind
  17. bass — low music
  18. wax — to grow
  19. rash — a series
  20. rest — what's left
  21. chest — a box
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rash — hasty

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