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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. staff — employees
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. rash — a series
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. staff — a stick
  8. scale — in music
  9. tear — to rip
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. tear — from crying
  12. stand — to bear
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — hasty
  15. cell — in biology
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. staff — employees
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. tear — from crying
  22. row — a line
  23. cell — a phone
  24. scale — size or range

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