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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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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: rest · wake · bore · chest · net · stick · ruler · shower

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. chest — of your body
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. net — in sport
  5. shower — rain
  6. chest — a box
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. wake — a trail
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bore — to tire
  11. net — after costs
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. net — for catching
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. bore — to drill
  18. shower — to wash
  19. chest — of your body
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. rest — what's left
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. rest — a break
  24. ruler — for measuring

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