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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: object · wound · shower · squash · court · spring · ruler · fall

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. spring — a coil
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. object — an aim
  8. fall — to drop
  9. squash — the sport
  10. wound — an injury
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. fall — the season
  13. shower — rain
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. object — a thing
  16. spring — the season
  17. court — for sport
  18. shower — to wash
  19. court — of law
  20. wound — an injury
  21. spring — of water
  22. fall — to drop
  23. squash — to crush
  24. court — of a king

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