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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: ruler · lash · deal · fall · wound · row · club · shower

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. deal — to handle
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. club — for golf
  5. shower — to wash
  6. club — a group
  7. fall — to drop
  8. shower — rain
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. row — to paddle
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. wound — an injury
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. row — a line
  18. fall — the season
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. club — for dancing
  23. fall — to drop
  24. lash — to lash out

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