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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. craft — a skill
  3. squash — to crush
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. tear — from crying
  7. squash — the sport
  8. cue — a hint
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. wax — to grow
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. race — a contest
  13. tear — from crying
  14. race — the arms race
  15. cue — a signal
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. race — humankind
  18. craft — boats
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. tear — to rip
  21. cap — a hat
  22. cue — for pool
  23. cap — of ice
  24. wax — for sculpting

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