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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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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: tear · fine · bat · stand · pop · leaves · row · arm

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. tear — to rip
  4. row — a line
  5. fine — all right
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. pop — to visit
  10. tear — from crying
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. fine — high quality
  13. tear — from crying
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. stand — to bear
  16. row — to paddle
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. pop — soda
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. pop — music
  24. bat — the animal

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