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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. row — a line
  4. foot — a measure
  5. row — to paddle
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. last — finally
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. last — to go on
  11. wax — to grow
  12. capital — money
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. bound — certain
  18. capital — a city
  19. last — final
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. bound — obliged
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. row — a quarrel

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