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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: rule · leaves · row · rush · rash · wake · mouse · straw

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. rule — a law
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rash — hasty
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. wake — a trail
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. rash — a series
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. row — a line
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. rule — government
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. row — to paddle
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. mouse — the animal

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