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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. present — a gift
  5. mate — a partner
  6. row — to paddle
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. prune — to trim
  12. present — there
  13. row — a line
  14. lie — to recline
  15. mate — a friend
  16. present — the time now
  17. deal — to handle
  18. shower — rain
  19. mate — to breed
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. prune — to trim
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. deal — an agreement
  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