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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 · rest · current · row · plane · arm · rash · fork

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. current — electric
  3. rest — what's left
  4. tear — from crying
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. current — happening now
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rash — hasty
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. rash — a series
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. tear — from crying
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. row — to paddle
  15. tear — to rip
  16. rest — a break
  17. plane — a tool
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. fork — in a road
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. current — of water
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. row — a line

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