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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 · land · lean · rush · spell · fine · rash · fall

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. land — ground
  3. lean — to bend
  4. fall — to drop
  5. rush — hurry
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. fall — to drop
  8. lean — thin
  9. fine — high quality
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rash — a series
  12. spell — magic
  13. spell — letters
  14. spell — a short time
  15. row — a line
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. fall — the season
  18. fine — all right
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. rash — hasty
  21. land — a country
  22. row — to paddle
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. land — to come down

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