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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.

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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: wind · wake · lie · nail · march · hand · court · ruler

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wake — a trail
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. wind — moving air
  6. hand — help
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. march — the month
  10. march — music
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. hand — in cards
  14. march — the month
  15. court — for sport
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. lie — to recline
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. court — of a king
  21. court — of law
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. ruler — a monarch

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