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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 120 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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. deal — to handle
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. row — to paddle
  6. last — finally
  7. row — a line
  8. cap — a lid
  9. race — the arms race
  10. wax — to grow
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cap — of ice
  16. race — humankind
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. last — to go on
  19. last — final
  20. fall — to drop
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. race — a contest
  23. fall — the season
  24. fall — to drop

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