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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 116 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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  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. chair — to sit on
  2. row — a line
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. bore — to tire
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. band — a ring
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. row — to paddle
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. rock — a stone
  14. land — to come down
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. land — a country
  17. bore — to drill
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. chair — a leader
  21. rock — music
  22. land — ground
  23. wave — with your hand
  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