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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. row — to paddle
  3. degree — from a university
  4. degree — temperature
  5. wax — to grow
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. rock — music
  8. lean — thin
  9. swing — in golf
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. mate — a friend
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. current — of water
  14. lean — to bend
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. rock — a stone
  17. mate — to breed
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. swing — music
  20. degree — an amount
  21. current — electric
  22. swing — to play on
  23. row — a line
  24. mate — a partner

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