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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. roll — a cake
  3. rock — music
  4. mate — a partner
  5. cue — a hint
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. wax — to grow
  8. current — of water
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. row — to paddle
  14. current — electric
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. cue — for pool
  17. roll — a list
  18. row — a line
  19. rock — a stone
  20. current — happening now
  21. mate — a friend
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. cue — a signal
  24. rock — to move gently

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