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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. wound — an injury
  4. rock — music
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. ground — the earth
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. ground — crushed
  13. ground — a position
  14. row — a line
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. rock — a stone
  18. last — to go on
  19. last — final
  20. wax — to grow
  21. last — finally
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. date — the fruit
  24. wound — an injury

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