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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: row · scale · spell · hand · track · bore · object · rush

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. rush — hurry
  3. spell — letters
  4. object — a thing
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. spell — magic
  7. hand — help
  8. bore — to drill
  9. track — to keep track
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. object — to protest
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. track — a path
  14. scale — size or range
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. spell — a short time
  17. row — a line
  18. object — an aim
  19. hand — in cards
  20. track — a song
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. scale — in music
  24. bore — to tire

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