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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. season — in sport
  3. row — to paddle
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. race — humankind
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. race — the arms race
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. fall — to drop
  17. season — of the year
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. wax — to grow
  20. fall — to drop
  21. row — a line
  22. toast — bread
  23. fall — the season
  24. race — a contest

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