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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 124 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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. hand — help
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. lean — thin
  6. spring — of water
  7. fall — to drop
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. race — humankind
  10. race — the arms race
  11. spring — a coil
  12. band — a music group
  13. spring — the season
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. fall — the season
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. hand — in cards
  19. board — to get on
  20. race — a contest
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. lean — to bend
  23. board — a committee
  24. band — a ring

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