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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. 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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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. chest — a box
  4. chest — of your body
  5. spring — of water
  6. cap — a hat
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. tear — from crying
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. bear — the animal
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. cap — a lid
  13. spring — the season
  14. tear — to rip
  15. bound — obliged
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bound — certain
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. cap — of ice
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bowl — to roll

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