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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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. plane — an aircraft
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. current — happening now
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. track — a path
  12. pitch — completely
  13. plane — a tool
  14. land — to come down
  15. row — a line
  16. track — to keep track
  17. land — ground
  18. row — to paddle
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. track — a song
  21. land — a country
  22. current — of water
  23. current — electric
  24. wax — to grow

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