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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. wind — moving air
  3. suit — to fit
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. suit — clothes
  8. suit — in cards
  9. ball — a dance
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. wax — to grow
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. wake — a trail
  15. row — a line
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. ball — a great time
  24. cabinet — ministers

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