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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: row · bass · capital · last · wax · fine · board · sharp

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. board — to get on
  3. fine — all right
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. row — a line
  6. capital — money
  7. last — final
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. sharp — clever
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. last — finally
  15. bass — the fish
  16. board — a committee
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. fine — high quality
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. bass — low music
  21. last — to go on
  22. capital — a city
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. board — a flat piece

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