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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. race — a contest
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. march — the month
  6. bank — for money
  7. march — music
  8. lie — to recline
  9. track — a path
  10. bank — of a river
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. track — to keep track
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. race — the arms race
  17. wax — to grow
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. track — a song
  20. kid — child
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. race — humankind
  23. bank — for money
  24. march — the month

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