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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. hand — help
  3. row — to paddle
  4. track — a path
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. track — a song
  8. cue — for pool
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. hand — in cards
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. row — a line
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. cue — a signal
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wax — to grow
  24. track — to keep track

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