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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. spring — the season
  5. wax — to grow
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. dip — to sink
  8. spring — a coil
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. rest — what's left
  13. field — a subject
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — a break
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. field — farmland
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. spring — of water
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. field — for sport
  24. wax — for sculpting

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