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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. toast — bread
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. lean — thin
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — a box
  13. race — a contest
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. lean — to bend
  16. race — humankind
  17. chest — of your body
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. pound — a weight
  22. wound — an injury
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. wax — to grow

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