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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. club — for dancing
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cell — in biology
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. wax — to grow
  8. spring — a coil
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. club — for golf
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. cold — an illness
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. bear — the animal
  16. spring — of water
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. bear — the animal
  19. spring — the season
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. cell — a phone
  22. club — a group
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. wax — for sculpting

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