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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: jam · rash · face · row · perch · bowl · hand · nail

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. perch — the fish
  4. face — to confront
  5. rash — hasty
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. row — a line
  9. hand — in cards
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. hand — help
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. face — part of the head
  17. row — to paddle
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. face — to point toward
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. bowl — a dish

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