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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: rock · drill · stand · rash · spring · ruler · content · snap

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  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. content — happy
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. rock — a stone
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. spring — of water
  6. rash — hasty
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. stand — to bear
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. drill — army training
  15. rock — music
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. spring — the season
  19. drill — a practice
  20. drill — the tool
  21. snap — to click
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — on the skin
  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