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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. row — a line
  4. rock — music
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. rock — a stone
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. mine — for digging
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. row — to paddle
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. wind — moving air
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. wind — moving air
  24. deal — to handle

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