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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. cell — a phone
  3. rock — a stone
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — ground
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. row — a line
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. land — a country
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. cell — in biology
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. wax — to grow
  20. row — to paddle
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — a container
  23. rock — music
  24. nail — for a hammer

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