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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: hand · root · fall · row · scale · cell · arm · fan

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. hand — help
  4. cell — in biology
  5. hand — in cards
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. row — a line
  10. row — to paddle
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. scale — size or range
  13. scale — in music
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. cell — a phone
  18. fall — to drop
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. fall — the season
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. root — of a word
  23. root — the cause
  24. fall — to drop

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