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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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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: board · bat · row · firm · sharp · perch · wax · calf

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. firm — decided
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bat — the animal
  6. board — to get on
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. firm — a company
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. perch — the fish
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. firm — steady
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. board — a committee
  22. wax — to grow
  23. row — to paddle
  24. calf — a young animal

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