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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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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: wave · straw · rush · rule · ruler · lean · fork · stock

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. rule — government
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. fork — in a road
  10. stock — goods
  11. lean — thin
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. lean — to bend
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. rule — a law
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. fork — a garden tool

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