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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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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 · current · fan · march · scale · wake · pound · wound

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wake — a trail
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. pound — a weight
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. march — the month
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. scale — size or range
  13. current — electric
  14. current — of water
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. march — music
  20. march — the month
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. scale — in music
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. current — happening now

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