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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: can · drill · row · shower · stand · ruler · rash · content

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. shower — rain
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. rash — a series
  5. content — the amount
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — to be able to
  10. can — a tin
  11. drill — a practice
  12. drill — army training
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. row — a line
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. stand — to bear
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. drill — the tool
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. shower — to wash
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. rash — hasty
  24. row — to paddle

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