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

Word bank: ruler · lie · bulb · wax · cold · race · foot · kid

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. race — a contest
  3. wax — to grow
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. kid — child
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. race — humankind
  12. bulb — for light
  13. kid — to tease
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. bulb — for light
  16. lie — to recline
  17. foot — a measure
  18. cold — an illness
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. cold — not warm

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