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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: pop · wind · ruler · hide · face · mine · row · rush

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. row — a line
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. wind — moving air
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. face — to point toward
  8. rush — hurry
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to confront
  14. pop — to visit
  15. mine — for digging
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. pop — music
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. pop — soda
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. wind — moving air
  24. row — to paddle

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