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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. row — a line
  4. march — the month
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. chair — a leader
  9. band — a music group
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. cue — a hint
  14. march — music
  15. wind — moving air
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. cue — a signal
  18. band — a ring
  19. march — the month
  20. lie — to recline
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. wind — moving air
  23. cue — for pool
  24. wind — to turn a key

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