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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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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: bay · row · mouse · date · march · chest · stick · wax

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. march — music
  3. march — the month
  4. chest — of your body
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. wax — to grow
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. chest — of your body
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. row — a line
  20. date — the fruit
  21. march — the month
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. chest — a box

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