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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: spring · fan · bound · ruler · shower · row · cabinet · ground

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bound — obliged
  4. spring — of water
  5. spring — the season
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. bound — certain
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. ground — crushed
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. bound — tied together
  12. ground — a position
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. row — to paddle
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. row — a line
  17. shower — rain
  18. spring — a coil
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. shower — to wash

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