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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 120 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. scale — size or range
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tube — a container
  5. cell — in biology
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. bank — for money
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. scale — in music
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. rule — government
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. bank — of a river
  15. rule — a law
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. bank — for money
  19. spring — of water
  20. cell — a phone
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. spring — the season
  24. ruler — for measuring

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