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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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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: rest · fine · straw · toast · roll · bark · arm · row

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. fine — all right
  4. fine — high quality
  5. roll — a cake
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. roll — a list
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. rest — a break
  12. row — a line
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bark — to shout
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. toast — bread
  19. rest — what's left
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. straw — dry grass

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