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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. row — to paddle
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. land — to come down
  8. saw — the tool
  9. firm — steady
  10. wax — to grow
  11. saw — the tool
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. firm — a company
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. row — a line
  17. land — a country
  18. firm — decided
  19. land — ground
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. degree — an amount
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. degree — from a university
  24. degree — temperature

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