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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: rock · wax · foot · row · toast · fall · wound · land

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. wound — an injury
  3. rock — a stone
  4. fall — the season
  5. wax — to grow
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. row — to paddle
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. land — ground
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. fall — to drop
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. land — to come down
  17. fall — to drop
  18. toast — bread
  19. row — a line
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. land — a country
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. rock — music

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