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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: nail · roll · straw · ruler · last · spring · pitcher · rush

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. rush — hurry
  9. last — finally
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. roll — a list
  15. last — final
  16. spring — of water
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. spring — the season
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. roll — a cake
  22. spring — a coil
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. ruler — a monarch

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