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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: ruler · rule · stand · shower · fork · mine

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. 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. mine — belonging to me
  2. shower — to wash
  3. mine — for digging
  4. shower — rain
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. fork — in a road
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. rule — government
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. stand — to bear
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. 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