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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. band — a music group
  3. prune — to trim
  4. band — a ring
  5. rock — a stone
  6. lie — to recline
  7. row — to paddle
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. rock — music
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. row — a line
  14. wake — a trail
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. prune — to trim
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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