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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. cap — a hat
  8. wax — to grow
  9. degree — from a university
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. race — humankind
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. band — a music group
  15. race — the arms race
  16. degree — temperature
  17. race — a contest
  18. cap — a lid
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. band — a ring
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. degree — an amount
  23. cap — of ice
  24. arm — a part of something

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