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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 120 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: drill · rush · chair · stock · prune · kick · spell · ruler

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  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. stock — shares
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. spell — magic
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. drill — the tool
  9. spell — a short time
  10. chair — a leader
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. prune — to trim
  13. spell — letters
  14. drill — army training
  15. rush — hurry
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. prune — to trim
  18. drill — a practice
  19. kick — in football
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. stock — goods
  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