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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 116 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: race · wax · mate · pound · plane · mine · kick · club

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. club — for golf
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — to grow
  5. race — humankind
  6. race — a contest
  7. mate — a partner
  8. race — the arms race
  9. plane — a tool
  10. club — a group
  11. pound — a weight
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. mate — to breed
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. kick — in football
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. club — for dancing
  23. mate — a friend
  24. mine — for digging

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