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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: ruler · tear · stand · spell · rush · squash · cap · fall

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. cap — a lid
  3. spell — magic
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. cap — of ice
  8. fall — to drop
  9. squash — to crush
  10. cap — a hat
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — from crying
  15. rush — hurry
  16. stand — to bear
  17. tear — to rip
  18. fall — the season
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. spell — a short time
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. fall — to drop
  23. spell — letters
  24. rush — to hurry

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