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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: mate · arm · saw · deal · row · fork · band · ground

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. fork — in a road
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. band — a music group
  6. mate — to breed
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. mate — a partner
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. row — to paddle
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. deal — to handle
  14. band — a ring
  15. saw — the tool
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. ground — crushed
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. ground — the earth
  20. mate — a friend
  21. ground — a position
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. row — a line

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