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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 120 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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. kid — to tease
  3. fork — in a road
  4. kid — child
  5. row — a line
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. wind — moving air
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. club — for golf
  12. bass — low music
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bass — the fish
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. club — a group
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. stem — to come from
  20. wind — moving air
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. club — for dancing
  24. bowl — a football final

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