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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: rash · ruler · stick · rest · chest · current · wound · ground

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. ground — crushed
  3. rash — a series
  4. ground — a position
  5. wound — an injury
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — a box
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. ground — the earth
  14. current — happening now
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wound — an injury
  18. chest — of your body
  19. current — electric
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rash — hasty
  23. current — of water
  24. ruler — for measuring

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