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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. race — humankind
  3. face — to confront
  4. chip — to eat
  5. chip — for betting
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — moving air
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. bore — to drill
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. race — the arms race
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. hand — help
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bore — to tire
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. wax — to grow
  20. race — a contest
  21. face — part of the head
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. face — to point toward

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