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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 120 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: row · fan · ruler · bore · chest · field · rash · wave

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. row — to paddle
  4. bore — to drill
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bore — to tire
  14. field — for sport
  15. rash — a series
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. field — farmland
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. chest — of your body
  21. rash — hasty
  22. field — a subject
  23. chest — a box
  24. fan — a supporter

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