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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: fall · wound · dip · jam · hand · bore · roll · ruler

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. hand — in cards
  3. roll — a list
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. fall — the season
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. fall — to drop
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. hand — help
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. wound — an injury
  20. roll — a cake
  21. dip — to sink
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bore — to tire

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