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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: rash · root · row · lean · bat · scale · season · ruler

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. scale — size or range
  4. rash — a series
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. row — a line
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. root — the cause
  9. root — of a word
  10. root — of a plant
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. scale — in music
  13. lean — thin
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. bat — the animal
  17. rash — hasty
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. season — in sport
  21. season — of the year
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. row — to paddle

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