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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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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: snap · wax · band · fan · scale · plane · race · wind

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. race — humankind
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. wind — moving air
  6. snap — to click
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. race — a contest
  10. wind — moving air
  11. plane — a tool
  12. scale — in music
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. scale — size or range
  15. band — a music group
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — to grow
  18. race — the arms race
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. band — a ring
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. band — a rubber band

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