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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: roll · ruler · mine · last · hide · stick · wind · can

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. last — final
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. can — a tin
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. last — finally
  9. mine — for digging
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. can — a tin
  14. roll — a cake
  15. roll — a list
  16. wind — moving air
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. last — to go on
  21. can — to be able to
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. wind — to turn a key

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