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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. race — the arms race
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. cap — a hat
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. chest — a box
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. chest — of your body
  10. cap — of ice
  11. stock — shares
  12. race — humankind
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. stock — goods
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. cap — a lid
  22. race — a contest
  23. chest — of your body
  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