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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · spell · fan · net · straw · mine

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  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. fan — to cool the air
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. spell — a short time
  4. spell — letters
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. spell — magic
  8. net — after costs
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. mine — for digging
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — for catching
  17. ruler — for measuring
  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