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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: bowl · straw · tear · rule · coach · stand · wind · ruler

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. tear — to rip
  3. wind — moving air
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. wind — moving air
  9. tear — from crying
  10. rule — government
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. tear — from crying
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. rule — a law
  20. stand — to bear
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. stand — for spectators

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