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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: ground · ruler · shower · lean · stick · bear · wound · squash

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. wound — an injury
  5. shower — rain
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — the earth
  9. wound — an injury
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. bear — the animal
  16. squash — the sport
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. ground — crushed
  20. bear — the animal
  21. shower — to wash
  22. squash — to crush
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. lean — to bend

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