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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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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: bat · season · net · row · mark · arm · band · nail

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. mark — a grade
  3. row — a line
  4. season — of the year
  5. bat — the animal
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. net — in sport
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. net — for catching
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. band — a music group
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. season — in sport
  19. mark — a trace
  20. band — a ring
  21. net — after costs
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. arm — part of the body

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