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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: fork · lie · wave · degree · track · mark · row · charge

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. track — to keep track
  4. mark — a grade
  5. charge — in control
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. mark — a trace
  8. charge — a price
  9. degree — from a university
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. fork — in a road
  13. track — a path
  14. track — a song
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. degree — an amount
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. row — a line
  21. degree — temperature
  22. charge — electricity
  23. lie — to recline
  24. row — to paddle

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