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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wake · scale · row · mug · kick · bound · game · fan

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. bound — tied together
  3. game — wild animals
  4. scale — size or range
  5. row — a line
  6. bound — obliged
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. game — a match
  13. mug — a face
  14. mug — to rob
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. wake — a trail
  18. scale — in music
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bound — certain
  23. kick — in football
  24. mug — a cup

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