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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. bound — obliged
  3. cue — a hint
  4. object — an aim
  5. object — a thing
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. drill — a practice
  8. row — to paddle
  9. wax — to grow
  10. row — a line
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. drill — army training
  13. bound — tied together
  14. rest — a break
  15. cue — for pool
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. rest — what's left
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. cue — a signal
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. bound — certain
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. drill — the tool
  24. rest — what's left

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