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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: land · race · shower · straw · ruler · craft

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. race — humankind
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. land — ground
  8. craft — a skill
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. land — a country
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. shower — rain
  15. craft — boats
  16. race — a contest
  17. land — to come down
  18. race — the arms race

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