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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. row — a line
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. pop — soda
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. lean — to bend
  7. field — farmland
  8. field — for sport
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. scale — in music
  12. pop — to visit
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. scale — size or range
  15. field — a subject
  16. craft — a skill
  17. squash — to crush
  18. craft — boats
  19. squash — the sport
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. lean — thin
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. pop — music
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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