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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: race · wax · prune · mate · mouse · band · pitch · deal

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. wax — to grow
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. race — humankind
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. band — a music group
  12. race — the arms race
  13. deal — to handle
  14. race — a contest
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. mate — a friend
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — to trim
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. pitch — completely
  24. band — a ring

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