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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: fork · chest · plane · track · rash · foot · row · bowl

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. row — to paddle
  3. chest — of your body
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. rash — hasty
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. rash — a series
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. track — a song
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. chest — of your body
  15. foot — a measure
  16. track — to keep track
  17. fork — in a road
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. chest — a box
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. plane — a tool
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. row — a line
  24. track — a path

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