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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: row · net · ruler · last · object · spell · chair · spring

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. spring — the season
  3. net — for catching
  4. chair — a leader
  5. last — final
  6. last — finally
  7. spell — magic
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. spring — a coil
  10. last — to go on
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. row — to paddle
  13. spell — a short time
  14. spring — of water
  15. spell — letters
  16. object — a thing
  17. row — a line
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. object — an aim
  22. net — in sport
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. net — after costs

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