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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 · wind · land · lean · lash · lie · rush · band

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. rush — hurry
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. lean — to bend
  5. band — a ring
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. lie — to recline
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. wind — moving air
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. band — a music group
  13. land — ground
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. lean — thin
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. land — to come down
  19. land — a country
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. lean — to rest against

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