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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: arm · rash · game · bound · leaves · bat · tear · row

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. row — a line
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. bat — the animal
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. rash — a series
  9. bound — certain
  10. game — wild animals
  11. rash — hasty
  12. game — a match
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. tear — from crying
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bound — tied together
  21. tear — to rip
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. tear — from crying

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