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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: fine · can · chest · squash · row · land · bank · straw

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. squash — the sport
  3. land — a country
  4. bank — for money
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. chest — of your body
  8. can — a tin
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. chest — a box
  12. land — to come down
  13. land — ground
  14. squash — to crush
  15. chest — of your body
  16. row — to paddle
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — to be able to
  19. fine — high quality
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. bank — of a river
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. bank — for money
  24. fine — all right

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