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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  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. straw — a straw man
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wake — a trail
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. file — a document
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. file — a line of people
  16. row — a line
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. row — to paddle
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. file — a tool
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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