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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: race · hand · prune · rule · swing · shower · fine · ruler

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. hand — help
  3. fine — high quality
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. prune — to trim
  7. swing — music
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. race — a contest
  11. shower — to wash
  12. race — the arms race
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. rule — government
  15. hand — in cards
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. swing — to play on
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. prune — to trim
  20. race — humankind
  21. swing — in golf
  22. shower — rain
  23. rule — a law
  24. fine — all right

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