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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: row · wind · pound · bank · ground · rule

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. bank — for money
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wind — moving air
  8. rule — a law
  9. bank — for money
  10. rule — government
  11. bank — of a river
  12. row — to paddle
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. ground — the earth
  15. row — a line
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. ground — crushed

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