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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: arm · hand · leaves · ground · mark · rock · pass · tear

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. ground — a position
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. rock — a stone
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. ground — the earth
  9. ground — crushed
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mark — a trace
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — from crying
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. hand — in cards
  20. rock — music
  21. tear — to rip
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. pass — a permit
  24. rock — to move gently

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