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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: hand · bore · mate · stand · bowl · row · cell · rock

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. rock — music
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. bore — to drill
  6. hand — help
  7. stand — to bear
  8. rock — a stone
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bore — to tire
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. mate — to breed
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. mate — a partner
  16. row — to paddle
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. mate — a friend
  20. cell — in biology
  21. row — a line
  22. cell — a phone
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. hand — in cards

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