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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mate — to breed
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. row — to paddle
  8. pop — music
  9. cell — a phone
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. pop — soda
  13. mug — to rob
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. mug — a face
  18. row — a line
  19. pop — to visit
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. cell — in biology
  22. wax — to grow
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. mate — a friend

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