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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. spell — magic
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. race — a contest
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. race — the arms race
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. hand — in cards
  14. spell — a short time
  15. race — humankind
  16. rock — a stone
  17. dip — to sink
  18. spell — letters
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. rock — music
  22. wax — to grow
  23. hand — help
  24. branch — a division

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