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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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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 · press · bat · trunk · shower · race · march · ruler

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. press — newspapers
  3. march — music
  4. shower — rain
  5. wax — to grow
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. march — the month
  9. bat — the animal
  10. race — a contest
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. press — a publisher
  14. press — to push
  15. race — the arms race
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. march — the month
  21. shower — to wash
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. trunk — of a tree

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