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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. file — a document
  3. file — a line of people
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. file — a tool
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. mine — for digging
  9. rock — a stone
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. root — of a word
  12. rock — music
  13. row — a line
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. root — of a plant
  18. wax — to grow
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. root — the cause
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pitcher — a jug

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