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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: leaves · mouse · cap · bat · roll · row · fork · saw

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. roll — a list
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. bat — the animal
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. saw — the tool
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. row — to paddle
  12. row — a line
  13. roll — a cake
  14. cap — a hat
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. saw — the tool
  18. cap — a lid
  19. fork — in a road
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. cap — of ice
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. mouse — for a computer

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