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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
468
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 · race · bat · hide · mouse · spring · club · cabinet

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. club — for golf
  3. race — humankind
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. spring — a coil
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. club — a group
  13. club — for dancing
  14. race — the arms race
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. race — a contest
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. spring — of water
  24. hide — to keep secret

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