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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. wound — an injury
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. tube — a container
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. tube — the underground
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. pitch — completely
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. row — a line
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wound — an injury

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