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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: cell · wound · ruler · rush · game · spell · deal · perch

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. game — wild animals
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. wound — an injury
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. game — a match
  9. deal — to handle
  10. cell — in biology
  11. spell — a short time
  12. rush — hurry
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. spell — letters
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. spell — magic
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. cell — a phone
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. perch — the fish
  24. perch — for a bird

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