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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: foot · scale · row · saw · bore · cold · lean · race

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. bore — to drill
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. saw — the tool
  6. lean — thin
  7. cold — not warm
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. race — the arms race
  10. race — humankind
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. bore — to tire
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. lean — to bend
  15. foot — a measure
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. scale — in music
  19. row — to paddle
  20. race — a contest
  21. scale — size or range
  22. cold — an illness
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. lean — to rest against

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