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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: march · rush · row · fall · bowl · ruler · pound · scale

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. fall — to drop
  6. march — the month
  7. march — the month
  8. pound — a weight
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. row — a line
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. scale — size or range
  14. row — to paddle
  15. fall — to drop
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. fall — the season
  19. march — music
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. scale — in music

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