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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 116 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: object · mine · row · saw · rash · dip · bay · cell

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. cell — a phone
  3. rash — hasty
  4. dip — to sink
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. object — an aim
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. row — a line
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. mine — for digging
  11. cell — in biology
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. saw — the tool
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. rash — a series
  17. row — to paddle
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. object — a thing
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. saw — the tool
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. bay — a horse colour

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