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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: ground · chip · rock · rule · fall · row · hide · wake

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. rock — music
  3. row — to paddle
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. ground — crushed
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. wake — a trail
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. ground — the earth
  10. rock — a stone
  11. fall — the season
  12. fall — to drop
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. chip — to eat
  15. fall — to drop
  16. ground — a position
  17. rule — government
  18. row — a line
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. chip — for betting
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. rule — a law

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