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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 · nail · bark · ruler · face · file · arm

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. race — the arms race
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. face — to point toward
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. face — part of the head
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. file — a document
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bark — to shout
  15. file — a tool
  16. face — to confront
  17. file — a line of people
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. race — humankind
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. wax — to grow

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