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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: wind · can · tear · arm · pop · vault · row · net

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. net — after costs
  4. row — to paddle
  5. row — a line
  6. can — to be able to
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. pop — music
  11. vault — a safe
  12. pop — to visit
  13. net — in sport
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. tear — from crying
  16. can — a tin
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. can — a tin
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. tear — to rip
  21. tear — from crying
  22. net — for catching
  23. wind — moving air
  24. pop — soda

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