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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. race — the arms race
  3. clip — to cut
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. clip — for paper
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. wound — an injury
  9. dip — to sink
  10. clip — a video
  11. wound — an injury
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. race — a contest
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. wax — to grow
  18. chair — a leader
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. race — humankind
  24. lie — to recline

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