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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. mug — a cup
  4. race — the arms race
  5. mug — a face
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. race — a contest
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. race — humankind
  12. mug — to rob
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. wax — to grow
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. shower — to wash
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. shower — rain
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — goods
  24. wound — an injury

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