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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 116 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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. band — a music group
  3. row — a line
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. rest — what's left
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. spell — letters
  13. spell — a short time
  14. lie — to recline
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. hand — help
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. rest — what's left
  19. band — a ring
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. rest — a break
  23. hand — in cards
  24. spell — magic

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