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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: row · wound · object · bulb · chair · roll · saw · court

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. chair — a leader
  3. wound — an injury
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. court — for sport
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. court — of a king
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. roll — a list
  11. wound — an injury
  12. row — to paddle
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. object — a thing
  16. bulb — for light
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. object — an aim
  19. bulb — for light
  20. roll — a cake
  21. object — to protest
  22. row — a line
  23. saw — the tool
  24. court — of law

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