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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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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: wind · plane · arm · temple · straw · pound · wake · row

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. plane — a tool
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. row — a line
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pound — a weight
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. wind — moving air
  14. row — to paddle
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. wake — a trail
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. plane — an aircraft

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