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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. current — happening now
  5. fork — in a road
  6. spring — a coil
  7. tear — from crying
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. tear — from crying
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. current — of water
  13. spring — of water
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. mate — a friend
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. tear — to rip
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mate — a partner
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. current — electric

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