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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  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. arm — part of the body
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. prune — to trim
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. face — to confront
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. face — to point toward
  10. face — part of the head
  11. swing — to play on
  12. race — a contest
  13. swing — music
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. swing — in golf
  17. prune — to trim
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. wax — to grow
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. race — humankind
  23. prune — the fruit
  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