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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rush · ruler · perch · hide · bat · lash · shower · drill

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  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. hide — to keep secret
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. perch — the fish
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. drill — army training
  10. drill — the tool
  11. bat — the animal
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. shower — to wash
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. shower — rain
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rush — hurry
  21. drill — a practice
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. perch — for a bird
  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