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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 116 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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. race — a contest
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. row — to paddle
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. season — in sport
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. season — of the year
  15. rush — hurry
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. wax — to grow
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. race — the arms race
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. bulb — for light
  22. race — humankind
  23. bulb — for light
  24. row — a line

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