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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 120 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: wound · rest · wake · deal · current · march · ruler · scale

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. rest — a break
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. march — music
  6. current — of water
  7. march — the month
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — an injury
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wake — a trail
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. current — happening now
  15. rest — what's left
  16. march — the month
  17. scale — size or range
  18. current — electric
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. scale — in music
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. rest — what's left
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. deal — to handle

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