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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: row · pop · racket · hand · object · leaves · roll · bore

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. object — to protest
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. roll — a cake
  6. object — a thing
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. pop — soda
  9. row — a line
  10. row — to paddle
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. pop — to visit
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bore — to drill
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. roll — a list
  18. object — an aim
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. pop — music
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. hand — in cards
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bore — to tire

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