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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 120 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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. content — happy
  4. firm — steady
  5. row — a line
  6. rest — a break
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. saw — the tool
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. firm — a company
  13. lean — to bend
  14. content — the amount
  15. wax — to grow
  16. fork — in a road
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. lean — thin
  22. rest — what's left
  23. firm — decided
  24. rest — what's left

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