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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
468
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 · lash · clip · wax · ball · fine · chair · bulb

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. ball — a dance
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. chair — a leader
  6. ball — a great time
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. row — a line
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. clip — for paper
  13. row — to paddle
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. bulb — for light
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. wax — to grow
  18. fine — high quality
  19. bulb — for light
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. clip — to cut
  23. clip — a video
  24. fine — all right

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