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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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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 · drill · degree · snap · wound · march · lean · shower

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. wound — an injury
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. march — the month
  5. march — the month
  6. degree — from a university
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. drill — army training
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. wound — an injury
  11. shower — rain
  12. degree — temperature
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. drill — the tool
  15. shower — to wash
  16. march — music
  17. snap — to click
  18. lean — thin
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. degree — an amount
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. lean — to bend
  24. drill — a practice

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