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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. race — humankind
  3. spring — of water
  4. spring — a coil
  5. race — the arms race
  6. spring — the season
  7. march — the month
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. present — the time now
  14. wax — to grow
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. march — music
  17. present — a gift
  18. kick — in football
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. race — a contest
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. march — the month

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