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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. craft — boats
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. face — part of the head
  6. object — a thing
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. prune — to trim
  10. object — an aim
  11. row — to paddle
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. object — to protest
  15. prune — to trim
  16. face — to confront
  17. craft — a skill
  18. row — a line
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. face — to point toward
  21. wax — to grow
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. chair — a professorship

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