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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. row — to paddle
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. present — a gift
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. wax — to grow
  7. season — of the year
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. scale — in music
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. present — the time now
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. scale — size or range
  15. pass — a permit
  16. row — a line
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. mark — a trace
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. season — in sport
  21. mark — a grade
  22. present — there
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. pass — to spend time

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