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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. craft — a skill
  3. press — to push
  4. squash — to crush
  5. race — a contest
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. rock — music
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. wax — to grow
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. race — humankind
  13. rock — a stone
  14. club — for golf
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. club — a group
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. squash — the sport
  19. press — a publisher
  20. race — the arms race
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. craft — boats
  23. press — newspapers
  24. lash — to lash out

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