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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: row · hide · drill · rash · bank · game · squash · staff

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bank — for money
  4. drill — the tool
  5. game — a match
  6. staff — employees
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. drill — a practice
  10. bank — for money
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. drill — army training
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. bank — of a river
  15. row — a line
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — a series
  19. squash — the sport
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. rash — hasty
  22. squash — to crush
  23. staff — a stick
  24. staff — employees

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