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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. race — the arms race
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. bat — the animal
  5. wind — moving air
  6. object — a thing
  7. fall — to drop
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. race — a contest
  10. fall — to drop
  11. object — to protest
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. fall — the season
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. object — an aim
  24. race — humankind

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