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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. row — to paddle
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. mate — to breed
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. snap — to click
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. wax — to grow
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. rash — a series
  18. rash — hasty
  19. mate — a partner
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. dip — to sink
  23. mate — a friend
  24. row — a line

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