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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. row — to paddle
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. foot — a measure
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. band — a music group
  9. band — a ring
  10. staff — employees
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. pit — in a race
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. staff — employees
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. staff — a stick
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. pit — a hole
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. wax — to grow
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. stem — to come from

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