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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 116 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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. wax — to grow
  3. sharp — clever
  4. prune — to trim
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. row — a line
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. mine — for digging
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. prune — to trim
  20. chair — a leader
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. chair — a professorship

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