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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: row · board · wax · kick · race · spell · arm · rush

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. row — to paddle
  4. wax — to grow
  5. race — a contest
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. race — the arms race
  8. spell — letters
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. rush — hurry
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. spell — magic
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. spell — a short time
  20. row — a line
  21. kick — in football
  22. board — a committee
  23. race — humankind
  24. board — to get on

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