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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: rash · row · mark · lean · spell · content · field · board

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. content — the amount
  4. spell — a short time
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. lean — thin
  8. field — farmland
  9. row — a line
  10. lean — to bend
  11. spell — magic
  12. field — for sport
  13. mark — a trace
  14. field — a subject
  15. content — happy
  16. board — a committee
  17. row — to paddle
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. rash — a series
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. mark — a grade
  22. rash — hasty
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. spell — letters

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