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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: land · rule · tear · safe · season · arm · hand · row

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. tear — to rip
  3. hand — in cards
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. hand — help
  7. land — a country
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. tear — from crying
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. rule — a law
  15. rule — government
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. row — to paddle
  19. land — to come down
  20. row — a line
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. tear — from crying
  24. land — ground

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