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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: ruler · hand · wind · drill · court · wound · scale · leaves

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wind — moving air
  4. hand — in cards
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. wind — moving air
  9. drill — the tool
  10. drill — a practice
  11. hand — help
  12. scale — size or range
  13. drill — army training
  14. wound — an injury
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. court — of a king
  17. wound — an injury
  18. court — for sport
  19. scale — in music
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. court — of law
  24. ruler — for measuring

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