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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. last — to go on
  4. race — humankind
  5. chest — a box
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. chest — of your body
  8. lean — to bend
  9. drill — army training
  10. last — final
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wax — to grow
  13. drill — a practice
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. race — the arms race
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. last — finally
  18. drill — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. chest — of your body
  23. lean — thin
  24. race — a contest

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