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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: race · spring · shower · ruler · craft · object

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. object — to protest
  3. craft — boats
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. object — a thing
  6. race — a contest
  7. spring — a coil
  8. race — humankind
  9. shower — to wash
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. shower — rain
  12. craft — a skill
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. race — the arms race
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. spring — the season
  17. spring — of water
  18. ruler — for measuring

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