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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: wax · race · sharp · rash · fan · track · deal · ball

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. track — a song
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. rash — a series
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. race — humankind
  8. ball — a dance
  9. sharp — clever
  10. rash — hasty
  11. race — the arms race
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. track — a path
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. race — a contest
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. wax — to grow
  18. track — to keep track
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. deal — to handle
  23. ball — a great time
  24. ball — a round shape

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