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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're almost out of ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. wax — to grow
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. pop — music
  9. row — a line
  10. row — to paddle
  11. staff — employees
  12. pop — to visit
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. lie — to recline
  15. rest — what's left
  16. saw — the tool
  17. staff — employees
  18. rest — a break
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. staff — a stick
  22. saw — the tool
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. row — a quarrel

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