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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · squash · bat · hand · spring · drill · row · fall

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. spring — of water
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. squash — to crush
  6. drill — a practice
  7. fall — to drop
  8. spring — the season
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. spring — a coil
  11. fall — the season
  12. drill — army training
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. hand — help
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. bat — the animal
  17. row — to paddle
  18. squash — the sport
  19. drill — the tool
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. fall — to drop
  22. hand — in cards
  23. row — a line
  24. bat — in an idiom

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