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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: face · mark · mine · kid · roll · band · rock · row

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. row — a line
  3. mark — a trace
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. roll — a list
  7. rock — a stone
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a ring
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. face — to confront
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. face — to point toward
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. kid — to tease
  19. roll — a cake
  20. row — to paddle
  21. face — part of the head
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. rock — music
  24. kid — child

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