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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 120 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. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. snap — to click
  4. press — a publisher
  5. pit — a hole
  6. pit — in a race
  7. press — to push
  8. saw — the tool
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. saw — the tool
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. plane — a tool
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. row — a line
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. press — newspapers
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. straw — dry grass

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