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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 · net · tear · rash · pitch · fan · face · band

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. face — to confront
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. face — part of the head
  5. net — in sport
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. pitch — completely
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. rash — a series
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. net — after costs
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. net — for catching
  17. row — a line
  18. face — to point toward
  19. tear — to rip
  20. tear — from crying
  21. band — a music group
  22. band — a ring
  23. rash — hasty
  24. tear — from crying

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