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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. squash — to crush
  3. race — a contest
  4. squash — the sport
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. wax — to grow
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. tear — from crying
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. last — to go on
  14. drill — army training
  15. race — humankind
  16. last — final
  17. drill — the tool
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. tear — from crying
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. snap — to click
  22. tear — to rip
  23. last — finally
  24. drill — a practice

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