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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: row · club · leaves · sharp · mark · rest · temple · wind

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mark — a grade
  4. rest — what's left
  5. row — to paddle
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. wind — moving air
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. rest — what's left
  10. mark — a trace
  11. row — a line
  12. rest — a break
  13. wind — moving air
  14. club — a group
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. club — for dancing
  19. club — for golf
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. sharp — clever
  24. wind — to turn a key

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