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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: chip · club · lean · shower · racket · rash · ruler · mine

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. rash — hasty
  4. club — for golf
  5. chip — for betting
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. chip — to eat
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. lean — thin
  13. shower — to wash
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. rash — a series
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. club — for dancing
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. club — a group
  22. shower — rain
  23. mine — for digging
  24. racket — for tennis

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