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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. suit — to fit
  3. root — the cause
  4. row — a line
  5. game — wild animals
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. suit — in cards
  12. clip — to cut
  13. bound — tied together
  14. clip — a video
  15. suit — clothes
  16. game — a match
  17. root — of a word
  18. clip — for paper
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. bound — obliged
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. bound — certain
  24. root — of a plant

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