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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. squash — the sport
  3. charge — in control
  4. squash — to crush
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. race — a contest
  7. craft — a skill
  8. craft — boats
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. toast — bread
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. field — for sport
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. race — humankind
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. field — farmland
  20. charge — a price
  21. charge — electricity
  22. field — a subject
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. wax — to grow

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