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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: chair · roll · rush · ground · shower · ruler · bore · wind

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. wind — moving air
  5. ground — a position
  6. chair — a leader
  7. ground — crushed
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. roll — a list
  12. ground — the earth
  13. wind — moving air
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — rain
  17. roll — a cake
  18. rush — hurry
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bore — to drill
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. chair — a professorship

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