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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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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: perch · straw · row · root · bank · leaves · file · cabinet

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. bank — for money
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. row — a line
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. root — the cause
  9. file — a line of people
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. row — to paddle
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. file — a tool
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. file — a document
  17. bank — for money
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. bank — of a river
  21. root — of a word
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. root — of a plant
  24. perch — the fish

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