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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. race — the arms race
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. spell — a short time
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. race — humankind
  7. capital — money
  8. band — a ring
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. spell — magic
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. spell — letters
  15. capital — a city
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. wax — to grow
  18. lean — to bend
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. lean — thin
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. band — a music group
  23. race — a contest
  24. capital — a big letter

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