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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: mouse · race · jam · chip · pop · bore · wax · wind

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. bore — to tire
  5. wind — moving air
  6. race — the arms race
  7. pop — music
  8. race — humankind
  9. chip — for betting
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. pop — to visit
  14. wax — to grow
  15. chip — to eat
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. race — a contest
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. pop — soda
  21. bore — to drill
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. mouse — for a computer

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