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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 120 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: squash · ruler · shower · rush · lean · clip · snap · chest

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. snap — to click
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. clip — for paper
  6. clip — a video
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. clip — to cut
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. squash — to crush
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. lean — thin
  14. chest — of your body
  15. shower — rain
  16. lean — to bend
  17. chest — a box
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. rush — hurry
  22. chest — of your body
  23. shower — to wash
  24. squash — the sport

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