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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: saw · pound · row · leaves · kid · stock · spell · fall

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. row — a line
  3. row — to paddle
  4. spell — a short time
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. kid — to tease
  7. stock — goods
  8. kid — child
  9. fall — to drop
  10. saw — the tool
  11. fall — the season
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. saw — the tool
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. stock — shares
  16. fall — to drop
  17. spell — letters
  18. spell — magic
  19. pound — a weight
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. stock — a soup base

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