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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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. spring — a coil
  4. mate — a partner
  5. drill — a practice
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. prune — to trim
  9. spring — of water
  10. wound — an injury
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. drill — the tool
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. deal — to handle
  18. prune — to trim
  19. spring — the season
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. mate — a friend
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. mate — to breed
  24. drill — army training

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