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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mate · wax · field · arm · cap · bowl · row · straw

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. cap — a lid
  3. field — farmland
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mate — a partner
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. cap — of ice
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. field — a subject
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. field — for sport
  14. mate — to breed
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. row — a line
  20. wax — to grow
  21. cap — a hat
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — dry grass

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