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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: bore · wake · row · bank · rush · spring · roll · court

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. bore — to tire
  5. court — of law
  6. bore — to drill
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. spring — the season
  9. wake — a trail
  10. bank — for money
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. spring — a coil
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bank — for money
  16. spring — of water
  17. roll — a list
  18. court — of a king
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. row — a line
  21. row — to paddle
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. roll — a cake
  24. court — for sport

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