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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: perch · row · board · wax · jam · leaves · racket · rest

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. rest — a break
  5. row — a line
  6. rest — what's left
  7. board — a committee
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. perch — the fish
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. wax — to grow
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. row — to paddle
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. rest — what's left
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. board — to get on
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. perch — for a bird

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