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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: ruler · mouse · rash · face · shower · wind · deal · row

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. wind — moving air
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. row — to paddle
  9. face — to point toward
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. rash — a series
  13. wind — moving air
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. shower — to wash
  17. rash — hasty
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. row — a line
  20. face — part of the head
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. deal — to handle
  24. shower — rain

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