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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: wound · wax · key · mug · rule · season · race · pop

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. pop — soda
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. key — the most important part
  5. mug — to rob
  6. key — in music
  7. rule — a law
  8. wax — to grow
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. mug — a face
  11. wound — an injury
  12. season — in sport
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. mug — a cup
  16. wound — an injury
  17. key — for a lock
  18. pop — music
  19. season — of the year
  20. race — a contest
  21. race — humankind
  22. rule — government
  23. pop — to visit
  24. race — the arms race

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