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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. charge — electricity
  3. firm — decided
  4. charge — in control
  5. band — a ring
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. degree — an amount
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. degree — from a university
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. row — a line
  12. firm — steady
  13. band — a music group
  14. degree — temperature
  15. rock — music
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. firm — a company
  18. charge — a price
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. row — to paddle
  23. rock — a stone
  24. branch — a division

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