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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. scale — size or range
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. scale — in music
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. wound — an injury
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. race — humankind
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. rush — hurry
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. wax — to grow
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. race — a contest
  24. race — the arms race

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