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

Word bank: mark · present · chest · tear · rest · ruler

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. tear — from crying
  3. present — the time now
  4. present — a gift
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. tear — from crying
  7. chest — a box
  8. chest — of your body
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. mark — a trace
  12. rest — a break
  13. mark — a grade
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. rest — what's left
  16. tear — to rip
  17. chest — of your body
  18. rest — what's left

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