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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rash · kid · mug · pound · spell · dip · race · wax

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. pound — a weight
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. spell — letters
  6. race — humankind
  7. rash — hasty
  8. spell — a short time
  9. mug — a cup
  10. race — a contest
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. rash — a series
  13. kid — to tease
  14. dip — to sink
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. mug — to rob
  17. spell — magic
  18. wax — to grow
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. kid — child
  22. mug — a face
  23. race — the arms race
  24. rash — on the skin

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