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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 116 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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. race — humankind
  3. shower — to wash
  4. cue — for pool
  5. race — a contest
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. cue — a hint
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wax — to grow
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. shower — rain
  15. race — the arms race
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. squash — the sport
  21. cue — a signal
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. wax — in the ear

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