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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. mate — a partner
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. root — of a plant
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. root — the cause
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. shower — rain
  13. mate — to breed
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. mate — a friend
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. root — of a word
  19. shower — to wash
  20. wax — to grow
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. row — a line
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. arm — part of the body

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