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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 · wave · rash · capital · squash · ruler · lie · object

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  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. object — to protest
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. lie — to recline
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. object — a thing
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. rash — hasty
  9. capital — a city
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. drill — the tool
  12. capital — money
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. object — an aim
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. rash — a series
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. drill — army training
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. drill — a practice
  22. squash — to crush
  23. squash — the sport
  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