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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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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: bank · wind · squash · current · race · ruler · net · snap

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. race — humankind
  4. wind — moving air
  5. current — of water
  6. squash — the sport
  7. bank — for money
  8. squash — to crush
  9. bank — for money
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. race — the arms race
  12. wind — moving air
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. bank — of a river
  15. net — for catching
  16. snap — to click
  17. race — a contest
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. net — after costs
  22. current — happening now
  23. net — in sport
  24. current — electric

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