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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: rest · nail · rash · bowl · sharp · hand · row · mine

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. rash — a series
  12. mine — for digging
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. hand — in cards
  18. rest — a break
  19. rash — hasty
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. row — to paddle
  23. sharp — clever
  24. hand — help

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