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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bark — to shout
  4. wax — to grow
  5. stock — shares
  6. drill — army training
  7. chest — of your body
  8. race — a contest
  9. race — humankind
  10. chest — of your body
  11. drill — a practice
  12. drill — the tool
  13. stock — goods
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. race — the arms race
  23. chest — a box
  24. wave — of the sea

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