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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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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: deal · cold · prune · shower · ruler · march · spell · tube

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. spell — magic
  4. deal — to handle
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. prune — to trim
  7. tube — a container
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. shower — to wash
  10. prune — to trim
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. march — the month
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. cold — not warm
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. tube — the underground
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. march — the month
  19. spell — letters
  20. march — music
  21. spell — a short time
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. shower — rain
  24. cold — an illness

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