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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. bank — for money
  3. root — the cause
  4. tear — to rip
  5. march — music
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. mate — to breed
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. spring — of water
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. root — of a word
  13. tear — from crying
  14. spring — the season
  15. march — the month
  16. mate — a partner
  17. march — the month
  18. bank — for money
  19. mate — a friend
  20. root — of a plant
  21. spring — a coil
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. bank — of a river
  24. tear — from crying

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