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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. rule — government
  4. club — for dancing
  5. tear — from crying
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. rule — a law
  8. race — the arms race
  9. sharp — clever
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. stem — to come from
  14. tear — to rip
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. wax — to grow
  17. race — a contest
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. tear — from crying
  20. club — a group
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. race — humankind
  24. hide — to keep secret

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