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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: wave · key · wound · rest · race · wax · ground · rock

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. ground — a position
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wound — an injury
  6. key — the most important part
  7. rest — a break
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. key — for a lock
  11. ground — crushed
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. race — the arms race
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. race — a contest
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. race — humankind
  18. rock — a stone
  19. rock — music
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — what's left
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. wound — an injury
  24. ground — the earth

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