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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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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: hide · row · kid · stem · bowl · board · scale · track

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. track — a song
  4. board — a committee
  5. kid — child
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. scale — in music
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. row — to paddle
  10. scale — size or range
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. track — a path
  17. track — to keep track
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. row — a line
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. board — to get on
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. hide — to keep secret

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