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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: fall · hand · row · cell · ruler · jam · lean · net

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — the season
  7. net — for catching
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. lean — to bend
  10. net — after costs
  11. row — a line
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. hand — in cards
  17. fall — to drop
  18. hand — help
  19. cell — in biology
  20. row — to paddle
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. net — in sport
  23. cell — a phone
  24. lean — thin

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