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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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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: snap · fall · rest · spell · bank · march · hide · ruler

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  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. fall — the season
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — a break
  5. bank — for money
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. fall — to drop
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. march — music
  10. bank — for money
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. march — the month
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. spell — magic
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. spell — letters
  17. snap — to click
  18. spell — a short time
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bank — of a river
  21. march — the month
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. fall — to drop
  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