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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bulb · ruler · pitcher · chair · tear · cap

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. tear — from crying
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. tear — to rip
  6. cap — a hat
  7. chair — a leader
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. cap — a lid
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. bulb — for light
  16. cap — of ice
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bulb — of a plant

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