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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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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: tear · lean · rest · rock · row · board · ground · roll

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. rock — music
  3. row — a line
  4. rest — a break
  5. ground — the earth
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. roll — a cake
  9. tear — from crying
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. roll — a list
  12. board — to get on
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — to rip
  15. ground — crushed
  16. board — a committee
  17. lean — thin
  18. lean — to bend
  19. rest — what's left
  20. ground — a position
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. row — to paddle
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rock — a stone

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