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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. rock — music
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. bound — tied together
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. row — a line
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. shower — rain
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. bound — obliged
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. pit — in a race
  18. row — to paddle
  19. pit — a hole
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wax — to grow
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. rock — a stone
  24. shower — to wash

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