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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 · chest · row · fork · wave · bark · bowl · rock

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bark — to shout
  3. row — a line
  4. fork — in a road
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. chest — a box
  7. hand — in cards
  8. rock — music
  9. chest — of your body
  10. rock — a stone
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. hand — help
  22. row — to paddle
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. wave — of the sea

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