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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: pit · wound · race · staff · branch · roll · wax · sharp

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. wound — an injury
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. pit — a hole
  5. staff — employees
  6. roll — a list
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. roll — a cake
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. sharp — clever
  13. race — a contest
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. wax — to grow
  16. staff — employees
  17. race — humankind
  18. wound — an injury
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. staff — a stick
  23. race — the arms race
  24. sharp — with an edge

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