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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: wound · ruler · firm · shower · craft · hand · drill · wind

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wound — an injury
  6. drill — a practice
  7. shower — to wash
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — in cards
  13. craft — boats
  14. firm — a company
  15. wind — moving air
  16. shower — rain
  17. firm — steady
  18. firm — decided
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. drill — army training
  24. drill — the tool

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