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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. wound — an injury
  3. club — for golf
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. spring — the season
  6. root — of a plant
  7. bulb — for light
  8. club — a group
  9. root — the cause
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. spring — of water
  13. club — for dancing
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. spring — a coil
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. root — of a word
  18. bulb — for light

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