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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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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: rest · ruler · shower · plane · scale · wind · pop · hide

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. pop — to visit
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. plane — a tool
  6. pop — music
  7. rest — what's left
  8. scale — size or range
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. shower — to wash
  11. wind — moving air
  12. rest — a break
  13. rest — what's left
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. shower — rain
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. pop — soda
  18. wind — moving air
  19. scale — in music
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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