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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: saw · ruler · fan · spell · fall · wave · squash · kid

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  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. fan — a supporter
  2. fall — to drop
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. kid — to tease
  5. saw — the tool
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. fall — to drop
  10. spell — magic
  11. squash — the sport
  12. kid — child
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. squash — to crush
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. spell — a short time
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. saw — the tool
  21. fall — the season
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. spell — letters
  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