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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.

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468
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: net · spring · ruler · march · chip · drill · craft · lean

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. march — music
  4. drill — a practice
  5. march — the month
  6. spring — of water
  7. drill — the tool
  8. craft — boats
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — in sport
  11. march — the month
  12. net — for catching
  13. chip — to eat
  14. chip — for betting
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. lean — to bend
  18. spring — the season
  19. drill — army training
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. craft — a skill
  24. spring — a coil

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