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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. mate — a friend
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. cold — an illness
  6. mate — a partner
  7. pound — a weight
  8. wax — to grow
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. race — a contest
  11. cold — not warm
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. race — humankind
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. race — the arms race
  22. mate — to breed
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. lash — an eyelash

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