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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: shower · mate · hand · rock · ruler · land · stock · chest

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. land — to come down
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. mate — to breed
  6. rock — music
  7. chest — of your body
  8. shower — rain
  9. mate — a friend
  10. stock — goods
  11. land — a country
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — a box
  14. mate — a partner
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stock — shares
  17. rock — a stone
  18. land — ground
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. shower — to wash
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. hand — in cards
  24. hand — help

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