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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. rest — what's left
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. race — humankind
  7. deal — to handle
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. rest — what's left
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. race — a contest
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cap — a lid
  15. pound — a weight
  16. perch — the fish
  17. race — the arms race
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. rest — a break
  24. wax — to grow

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