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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: wake · stick · roll · season · nail · row · ball · rash

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. row — a line
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. row — to paddle
  12. roll — a list
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ball — a great time
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. wake — a trail
  17. rash — a series
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. season — in sport
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. rash — hasty
  23. roll — a cake
  24. season — of the year

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