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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: date · kid · wake · foot · bound · saw · ruler · row

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. wake — a trail
  3. kid — child
  4. bound — tied together
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — the fruit
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. bound — obliged
  18. foot — a measure
  19. bound — certain
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. saw — the tool
  22. row — to paddle
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. kid — to tease

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