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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. capital — a city
  7. capital — money
  8. row — a line
  9. file — a tool
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. mug — to rob
  12. wax — to grow
  13. mug — a cup
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. file — a line of people
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. file — a document
  24. mug — a face

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