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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: land · bank · roll · fall · row · ball · stand · coach

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. roll — a cake
  3. roll — a list
  4. fall — to drop
  5. row — to paddle
  6. land — a country
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. bank — for money
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. ball — a great time
  12. ball — a dance
  13. bank — of a river
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. stand — to bear
  16. fall — the season
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. bank — for money
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. land — to come down
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. fall — to drop
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. row — a line

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