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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. row — a line
  3. row — to paddle
  4. object — to protest
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. capital — money
  9. swing — to play on
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. bass — low music
  12. capital — a city
  13. object — a thing
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bear — the animal
  20. swing — music
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. swing — in golf
  24. object — an aim

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