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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. wax — to grow
  4. ball — a dance
  5. land — a country
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. land — to come down
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. pit — in a race
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. land — ground
  21. row — a line
  22. ball — a great time
  23. pit — a hole
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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