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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: fall · ruler · file · saw · spell · roll · stick · object

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. fall — the season
  3. object — to protest
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. file — a document
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. object — a thing
  9. fall — to drop
  10. roll — a cake
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. roll — a list
  14. spell — a short time
  15. spell — letters
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. fall — to drop
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. spell — magic
  21. file — a line of people
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. file — a tool
  24. saw — the 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