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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: hand · row · bowl · stand · wax · wake · kid · key

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. row — a line
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. hand — in cards
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. wax — to grow
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. stand — to bear
  11. kid — child
  12. key — the most important part
  13. kid — to tease
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. key — for a lock
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. key — in music
  19. wake — a trail
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. row — to paddle
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. hand — help

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