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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. spell — a short time
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. row — a line
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. bass — the fish
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. root — of a word
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. spell — magic
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. wax — to grow
  16. spell — letters
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. root — of a plant
  20. root — the cause
  21. bass — low music
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. stem — to come from

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