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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 116 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: ball · rash · land · row · racket · bound · snap · lean

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. row — a line
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. land — ground
  5. ball — a great time
  6. rash — a series
  7. bound — certain
  8. ball — a dance
  9. row — to paddle
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. lean — thin
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. land — a country
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. bound — obliged
  17. lean — to bend
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. snap — to click
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. land — to come down
  23. bound — tied together
  24. rash — hasty

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