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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rush · land · row · scale · root · straw · fall · bank

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. land — ground
  3. rush — hurry
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. row — a line
  6. root — of a plant
  7. bank — for money
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. root — of a word
  10. scale — in music
  11. land — to come down
  12. root — the cause
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. row — to paddle
  16. fall — to drop
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. bank — for money
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. scale — size or range
  22. fall — to drop
  23. land — a country
  24. bank — of a river

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