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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. row — to paddle
  4. bear — the animal
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. bear — the animal
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. cell — in biology
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. wax — to grow
  16. stand — to bear
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. plane — a tool
  20. cell — a phone
  21. row — a line
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. wax — in the ear

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