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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. ball — a dance
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. current — happening now
  10. current — of water
  11. ball — a great time
  12. fine — high quality
  13. row — a line
  14. wax — to grow
  15. current — electric
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. row — to paddle
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. perch — the fish
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. fine — all right
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. coach — a trainer

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