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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. wind — moving air
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. race — the arms race
  16. mark — a trace
  17. race — humankind
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. race — a contest
  20. mark — a grade
  21. kid — child
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. hand — in cards

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