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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 116 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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468
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: ruler · squash · bound · hide · rash · stick · pass · plane

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. squash — to crush
  6. bound — certain
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. bound — obliged
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. rash — hasty
  13. bound — tied together
  14. pass — a permit
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. rash — a series
  19. squash — the sport
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. plane — a tool
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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