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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: fall · ruler · foot · wave · land · march · squash · mate

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. 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. wave — of the sea
  2. march — music
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. fall — to drop
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. fall — to drop
  8. march — the month
  9. land — a country
  10. squash — to crush
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. mate — a friend
  14. march — the month
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. mate — to breed
  17. fall — the season
  18. mate — a partner
  19. foot — a measure
  20. land — ground
  21. squash — the sport
  22. land — to come down
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. 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