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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: file · wax · race · pop · cell · drill · craft · temple

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. pop — soda
  4. cell — in biology
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. drill — a practice
  7. pop — music
  8. cell — a phone
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. file — a line of people
  11. drill — the tool
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. craft — boats
  14. race — a contest
  15. file — a document
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. pop — to visit
  18. file — a tool
  19. drill — army training
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. race — the arms race
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. craft — a skill
  24. race — humankind

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