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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: squash · row · fall · bank · chip · ruler · lean · rash

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. lean — to bend
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. fall — to drop
  5. chip — to eat
  6. rash — hasty
  7. chip — for betting
  8. squash — to crush
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bank — for money
  12. rash — a series
  13. fall — the season
  14. squash — the sport
  15. bank — of a river
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. bank — for money
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. lean — thin
  24. row — a line

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