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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: object · hand · row · wake · rock · fall · sharp · bulb

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. wake — a trail
  3. fall — to drop
  4. rock — music
  5. hand — help
  6. object — to protest
  7. rock — a stone
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. object — a thing
  11. fall — the season
  12. sharp — clever
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. fall — to drop
  15. row — a line
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. row — to paddle
  19. hand — in cards
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. bulb — for light
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. object — an aim

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