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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. squash — the sport
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. staff — a stick
  11. row — a line
  12. row — to paddle
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. kid — to tease
  15. wax — to grow
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. kid — child
  19. squash — to crush
  20. staff — employees
  21. drill — a practice
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. staff — employees
  24. drill — the tool

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