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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 116 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: wax · spell · craft · spring · race · pop · fall · bass

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. pop — to visit
  4. bass — low music
  5. fall — the season
  6. race — the arms race
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. race — humankind
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spring — a coil
  12. race — a contest
  13. bass — the fish
  14. fall — to drop
  15. wax — to grow
  16. pop — music
  17. craft — boats
  18. spell — letters
  19. pop — soda
  20. spell — magic
  21. craft — a skill
  22. spring — of water
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. fall — to drop

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