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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: ruler · chest · lash · staff · row · board · swing · branch

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. board — to get on
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. staff — employees
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. swing — music
  8. staff — a stick
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. staff — employees
  11. swing — in golf
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. row — a line
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — a box
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. chest — of your body
  22. swing — to play on
  23. board — a committee
  24. row — a quarrel

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