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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. band — a ring
  3. pit — in a race
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. drill — army training
  7. fall — the season
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. drill — the tool
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. fall — to drop
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. pit — a hole
  16. row — a line
  17. march — the month
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. wax — to grow
  20. drill — a practice
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. fall — to drop
  23. band — a music group
  24. calf — a young animal

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