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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: race · hide · file · spell · mine · net · mug · wax

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. mine — for digging
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — to grow
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. spell — letters
  9. file — a document
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. race — a contest
  12. spell — a short time
  13. net — in sport
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mug — to rob
  16. race — humankind
  17. net — for catching
  18. mug — a cup
  19. file — a tool
  20. net — after costs
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. mug — a face
  23. spell — magic
  24. file — a line of people

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