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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. cue — a signal
  4. land — ground
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. key — in music
  11. land — a country
  12. bore — to tire
  13. row — a line
  14. key — for a lock
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. cue — a hint
  17. key — the most important part
  18. bore — to drill
  19. hand — help
  20. wax — to grow
  21. land — to come down
  22. hand — in cards
  23. cue — for pool
  24. prune — to trim

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