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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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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: ruler · race · sharp · kid · wax · rock · bound · bay

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. kid — to tease
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. bound — certain
  6. race — humankind
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. race — the arms race
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. kid — child
  14. bound — obliged
  15. rock — a stone
  16. sharp — clever
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. wax — to grow
  19. bound — tied together
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. race — a contest
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. rock — music

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