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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. shower — to wash
  3. row — a line
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. shower — rain
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. club — a group
  13. deal — to handle
  14. row — to paddle
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. club — for dancing
  18. lean — thin
  19. wax — to grow
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. club — for golf
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. fork — in a road

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