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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 124 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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. file — a tool
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. rock — a stone
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. root — the cause
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. file — a line of people
  10. root — of a plant
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wind — moving air
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. wind — moving air
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. file — a document
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. rock — music
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. root — of a word
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. chair — a leader

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