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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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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: staff · row · pop · wake · chest · rock · lie · date

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. row — to paddle
  5. chest — a box
  6. chest — of your body
  7. row — a line
  8. pop — soda
  9. rock — a stone
  10. wake — a trail
  11. lie — to recline
  12. pop — music
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. staff — a stick
  15. rock — music
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. date — the fruit
  18. pop — to visit
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. staff — employees
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. staff — employees

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