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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. wind — moving air
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. mug — a face
  9. track — a song
  10. bore — to tire
  11. clip — for paper
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. mug — a cup
  14. prune — to trim
  15. track — a path
  16. track — to keep track
  17. clip — a video
  18. bore — to drill
  19. prune — to trim
  20. row — a line
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. clip — to cut
  23. wind — moving air
  24. mug — to rob

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