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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.

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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: cue · wave · race · capital · file · bowl · row · wax

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. cue — a signal
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. race — a contest
  6. cue — for pool
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. race — humankind
  9. row — a line
  10. file — a tool
  11. cue — a hint
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. capital — money
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. file — a document
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. wax — to grow
  21. row — to paddle
  22. capital — a city
  23. race — the arms race
  24. wax — in the ear

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