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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 116 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: rash · ruler · kick · shower · drill · march · band · press

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. march — the month
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. march — music
  6. drill — the tool
  7. shower — to wash
  8. band — a ring
  9. kick — in football
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. drill — army training
  12. press — to push
  13. rash — a series
  14. drill — a practice
  15. press — a publisher
  16. press — newspapers
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. rash — hasty
  19. march — the month
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. shower — rain
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a music group

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