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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  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 — humankind
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. game — a match
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. race — a contest
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. stem — to come from
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. mark — a grade
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. game — wild animals
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. mark — a trace
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. race — the arms race
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. kick — in football
  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