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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: lean · ruler · nail · cold · season · bay · wound · drill

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. drill — army training
  3. cold — not warm
  4. wound — an injury
  5. season — in sport
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. drill — the tool
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. cold — an illness
  13. season — of the year
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. lean — thin
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. wound — an injury
  20. lean — to bend
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. drill — a practice
  24. ruler — a monarch

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