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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. spring — of water
  3. row — a line
  4. spring — the season
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. clip — for paper
  8. wake — a trail
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. firm — a company
  11. spring — a coil
  12. wax — to grow
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. firm — steady
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. firm — decided
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. clip — a video
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. clip — to cut
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. wake — before a funeral

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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