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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 120 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 · tear · fan · row · foot · bat · rush · stock

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — help
  8. tear — to rip
  9. rush — hurry
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. foot — a measure
  15. tear — from crying
  16. stock — goods
  17. row — a line
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. stock — shares
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. bat — the animal
  24. rush — to hurry

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