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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. spring — of water
  3. spring — a coil
  4. lean — to bend
  5. rule — government
  6. suit — in cards
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — hasty
  9. spring — the season
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. rash — a series
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. row — to paddle
  15. suit — to fit
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. shower — rain
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. suit — clothes
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. lean — thin
  23. row — a line
  24. rule — a law

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