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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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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: saw · rest · cell · ruler · racket · shower · straw · lean

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. shower — rain
  3. cell — a phone
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. shower — to wash
  6. rest — what's left
  7. cell — in biology
  8. lean — to bend
  9. rest — a break
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. saw — the tool
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. rest — what's left
  19. lean — thin
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. saw — the tool
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. straw — a straw man

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