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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 120 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: rash · lie · saw · lean · fan · club · arm · row

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. club — for dancing
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rash — a series
  5. rash — hasty
  6. saw — the tool
  7. row — a line
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. lean — thin
  12. club — for golf
  13. club — a group
  14. row — to paddle
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lean — to bend
  24. lie — to recline

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