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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. track — to keep track
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. object — to protest
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. track — a path
  11. object — an aim
  12. scale — size or range
  13. march — music
  14. track — a song
  15. wax — to grow
  16. march — the month
  17. spring — the season
  18. scale — in music
  19. spring — of water
  20. object — a thing
  21. cell — a phone
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. cell — in biology
  24. march — the month

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