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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: ruler · swing · wound · staff · face · roll · lash · shower

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. shower — to wash
  5. face — part of the head
  6. swing — music
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. staff — a stick
  12. roll — a cake
  13. shower — rain
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. swing — in golf
  16. swing — to play on
  17. staff — employees
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. face — to point toward
  20. staff — employees
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. face — to confront
  23. roll — a list
  24. wound — an injury

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