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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. cue — a signal
  7. cue — a hint
  8. wax — to grow
  9. last — final
  10. row — a line
  11. last — finally
  12. lean — thin
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. rock — a stone
  15. season — of the year
  16. season — in sport
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. rock — music
  19. last — to go on
  20. lean — to bend
  21. row — to paddle
  22. squash — the sport
  23. squash — to crush
  24. row — a quarrel

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