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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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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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — in sport
  5. degree — temperature
  6. rush — hurry
  7. degree — from a university
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. race — a contest
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. season — of the year
  13. degree — an amount
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. wax — to grow
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. race — humankind
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. patient — a sick person

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