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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: wax · roll · ruler · tear · swing · row · ball · staff

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. ball — a great time
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — a stick
  5. ball — a dance
  6. row — to paddle
  7. roll — a list
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. tear — from crying
  10. swing — to play on
  11. row — a line
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — to rip
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. swing — music
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. staff — employees
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. wax — to grow
  22. swing — in golf
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. roll — a cake

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