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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 120 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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. row — to paddle
  3. spring — of water
  4. spring — a coil
  5. march — music
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. board — to get on
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. clip — for paper
  11. march — the month
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. clip — to cut
  14. spring — the season
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. board — a committee
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. march — the month
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. clip — a video
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. safe — a strongbox

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