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

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. pound — a weight
  5. fall — to drop
  6. court — of law
  7. row — to paddle
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. court — of a king
  14. band — a music group
  15. fall — the season
  16. band — a ring
  17. row — a line
  18. stand — to bear
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. rush — hurry
  21. fall — to drop
  22. court — for sport
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. wax — to grow

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