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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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. drill — the tool
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. drill — army training
  6. ball — a dance
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. shower — rain
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. rash — a series
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. rash — hasty
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. shower — to wash
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. ball — a great time
  23. branch — a division
  24. drill — a practice

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