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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. lean — to bend
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. cell — in biology
  6. scale — in music
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. rest — what's left
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. rest — what's left
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. rest — a break
  13. scale — size or range
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. race — a contest
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. cell — a phone
  20. lean — thin
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. race — humankind
  23. wax — to grow
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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