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

Word bank: hide · foot · wax · branch · last · race · kid · drill

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. branch — a division
  3. race — the arms race
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. kid — child
  6. drill — the tool
  7. drill — army training
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. last — finally
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. wax — to grow
  13. last — final
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. race — humankind
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. drill — a practice
  22. last — to go on
  23. race — a contest
  24. kid — to tease

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