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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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. field — a subject
  3. mate — a partner
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. row — a line
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. rash — hasty
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. bound — obliged
  10. row — to paddle
  11. mate — a friend
  12. rash — a series
  13. field — for sport
  14. mate — to breed
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. bound — certain
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. club — for golf
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. field — farmland
  21. bound — tied together
  22. club — a group
  23. wax — to grow
  24. club — for dancing

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