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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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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: rest · pass · bank · wind · wound · ruler

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. pass — a permit
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. rest — a break
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wound — an injury
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bank — for money
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bank — for money
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. bank — of a river
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. rest — what's left

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