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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: tear · rash · rock · saw · game · rest · pop · mouse

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. pop — to visit
  5. rest — a break
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rash — hasty
  9. tear — to rip
  10. rest — what's left
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. rash — a series
  15. game — a match
  16. pop — soda
  17. rock — music
  18. saw — the tool
  19. game — wild animals
  20. tear — from crying
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. tear — from crying
  23. rock — a stone
  24. pop — music

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