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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. chair — a leader
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. bound — tied together
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. wax — to grow
  13. bore — to drill
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. bore — to tire
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. bound — obliged
  21. spring — the season
  22. spring — of water
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. bound — certain

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