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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  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. mouse — for a computer
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. race — humankind
  4. charge — a price
  5. charge — in control
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. charge — electricity
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. present — the time now
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. present — there
  16. shower — to wash
  17. present — a gift
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. shower — rain
  22. race — a contest
  23. mouse — the animal
  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