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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 120 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. march — the month
  4. chair — a leader
  5. row — a line
  6. pop — music
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. craft — boats
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. pop — to visit
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. pop — soda
  14. wax — to grow
  15. craft — a skill
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. march — music
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. row — to paddle

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