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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: field · ruler · pound · tear · rash · wave · saw · board

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. saw — the tool
  6. pound — a weight
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. tear — to rip
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. board — a committee
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. field — for sport
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. tear — from crying
  18. saw — the tool
  19. board — to get on
  20. field — a subject
  21. tear — from crying
  22. rash — a series
  23. field — farmland
  24. wave — with your hand

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