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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. march — music
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. march — the month
  7. race — the arms race
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. cold — an illness
  10. march — the month
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. cold — not warm
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wax — to grow
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. lean — thin
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. race — humankind
  23. race — a contest
  24. safe — a strongbox

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