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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: race · hide · spring · stand · row · rule · wax · arm

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. row — to paddle
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. race — humankind
  9. rule — government
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. spring — the season
  13. row — a line
  14. race — the arms race
  15. wax — to grow
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. spring — of water
  19. stand — to bear
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. rule — a law
  23. spring — a coil
  24. rule — to rule out

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