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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. board — a committee
  4. row — to paddle
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. saw — the tool
  7. press — to push
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. press — newspapers
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. mine — for digging
  19. saw — the tool
  20. press — a publisher
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. board — to get on
  23. wax — to grow
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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