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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: patient · shower · ruler · sharp · squash · ground · spell · net

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — for catching
  4. sharp — clever
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. spell — letters
  9. ground — crushed
  10. net — after costs
  11. squash — the sport
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. ground — a position
  14. shower — to wash
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. shower — rain
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. spell — a short time
  19. squash — to crush
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. spell — magic
  24. ground — the earth

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