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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. present — a gift
  3. track — a song
  4. wax — to grow
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. land — ground
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. track — a path
  9. swing — in golf
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. swing — music
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. track — to keep track
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. present — the time now
  17. row — a line
  18. saw — the tool
  19. land — a country
  20. swing — to play on
  21. saw — the tool
  22. present — there
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. land — to come down

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