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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. current — electric
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. race — the arms race
  6. race — a contest
  7. race — humankind
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. stem — to come from
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — to be able to
  12. wound — an injury
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. wound — an injury
  16. deal — to handle
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. can — a tin
  21. current — of water
  22. current — happening now
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. deal — a big deal

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