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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. bear — the animal
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. kid — child
  10. fall — to drop
  11. rash — hasty
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wind — moving air
  15. spring — of water
  16. bear — the animal
  17. kid — to tease
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. rash — a series
  20. fall — the season
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. wind — moving air
  24. spring — a coil

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