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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. charge — a price
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. charge — in control
  8. kid — to tease
  9. charge — electricity
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bear — the animal
  19. kid — child
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — moving air
  23. mine — for digging
  24. bear — the animal

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