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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. wax — to grow
  4. last — finally
  5. row — to paddle
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. last — to go on
  12. spell — letters
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. last — final
  17. spell — a short time
  18. stand — to bear
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. spell — magic
  22. row — a line
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. mine — for digging

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