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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 · rule · stand · shower · fork · mine · fan · date

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. date — the fruit
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. fork — in a road
  16. rule — a law
  17. stand — to bear
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. shower — rain
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. shower — to wash
  24. rule — government

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