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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. hand — in cards
  4. row — to paddle
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. rash — a series
  7. can — a tin
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. stem — to come from
  11. plane — a tool
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. can — a tin
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. rush — hurry
  18. can — to be able to
  19. row — a line
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. rash — hasty

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