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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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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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. ground — a position
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — help
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. fall — the season
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. fall — to drop
  12. hand — in cards
  13. rock — a stone
  14. ground — the earth
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. wake — a trail
  17. branch — a division
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. rock — music
  21. ground — crushed
  22. wind — moving air
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. fall — to drop

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