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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 120 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: race · wax · leaves · perch · snap · content · rest · ruler

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. race — a contest
  3. rest — what's left
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. snap — to click
  6. rest — what's left
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. perch — the fish
  15. rest — a break
  16. race — the arms race
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. content — the amount
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. content — happy
  21. race — humankind
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wax — for sculpting

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