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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: spell · object · pound · straw · swing · cap · ruler · current

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. spell — letters
  3. cap — a lid
  4. cap — of ice
  5. object — a thing
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. current — of water
  8. spell — magic
  9. spell — a short time
  10. pound — a weight
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. swing — to play on
  13. swing — in golf
  14. cap — a hat
  15. object — to protest
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. swing — music
  18. object — an aim
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. current — happening now
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. current — electric
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — for measuring

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