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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 120 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: stand · fall · rock · bound · march · rush · row · staff

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  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. rush — hurry
  2. march — the month
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. march — the month
  7. staff — employees
  8. rock — music
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. stand — to bear
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. march — music
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. bound — obliged
  15. fall — the season
  16. staff — employees
  17. rock — a stone
  18. staff — a stick
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — certain
  23. row — a line
  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