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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. hand — help
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — an injury
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. club — a group
  10. rash — a series
  11. root — the cause
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. hand — in cards
  14. race — a contest
  15. root — of a word
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. club — for dancing
  18. root — of a plant
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. club — for golf
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. race — humankind
  24. rash — hasty

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