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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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. pop — soda
  4. staff — employees
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. pop — to visit
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. row — to paddle
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. march — music
  12. can — a tin
  13. march — the month
  14. march — the month
  15. wax — to grow
  16. capital — a city
  17. staff — employees
  18. row — a line
  19. can — a tin
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. can — to be able to
  22. staff — a stick
  23. pop — music
  24. capital — money

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