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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. mate — a partner
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. wax — to grow
  6. rule — a law
  7. lie — to recline
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. rock — music
  11. toast — bread
  12. mate — a friend
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. rule — government
  16. mate — to breed
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. rock — a stone
  20. race — humankind
  21. race — a contest
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. race — the arms race

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