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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. row — a line
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. saw — the tool
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bank — of a river
  15. date — the fruit
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. bank — for money
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. saw — the tool
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. bank — for money
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. pound — a weight

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