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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: ruler · suit · stock · fan · hand · wake · chest · nail

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. chest — a box
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. chest — of your body
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. stock — goods
  14. hand — help
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. wake — a trail
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. suit — clothes
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. suit — in cards
  22. chest — of your body
  23. hand — in cards
  24. nail — for a hammer

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