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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: wound · ruler · lean · band · pop · can · fall · craft

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. pop — soda
  3. can — to be able to
  4. lean — to bend
  5. fall — the season
  6. can — a tin
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. can — a tin
  9. fall — to drop
  10. band — a music group
  11. craft — a skill
  12. wound — an injury
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. fall — to drop
  17. pop — music
  18. wound — an injury
  19. craft — boats
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. lean — thin
  24. pop — to visit

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