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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 120 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: wax · row · swing · nail · rule · game · capital · bear

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. bear — the animal
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. game — a match
  6. bear — the animal
  7. rule — a law
  8. swing — in golf
  9. swing — music
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. wax — to grow
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. rule — government
  15. capital — money
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. capital — a city
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. swing — to play on
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. game — wild animals
  24. row — a line

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