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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. race — the arms race
  6. race — humankind
  7. bear — the animal
  8. wax — to grow
  9. bound — certain
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. bat — the animal
  14. dip — to sink
  15. wind — moving air
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bound — tied together
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bear — the animal
  20. race — a contest
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. bound — obliged
  24. wind — to turn a key

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