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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. lean — thin
  3. wax — to grow
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. suit — to fit
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. lean — to bend
  9. row — a line
  10. suit — in cards
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. row — to paddle
  14. suit — clothes
  15. race — the arms race
  16. race — humankind
  17. shower — to wash
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. race — a contest
  21. shower — rain
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. mine — for digging
  24. lean — to rest against

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