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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. club — for dancing
  4. cap — a lid
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. club — a group
  8. race — humankind
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. land — a country
  12. land — ground
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. race — the arms race
  20. cap — of ice
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. cap — a hat
  23. race — a contest
  24. club — for golf

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