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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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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: spring · ruler · stand · wound · content · cue

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. spring — of water
  3. spring — the season
  4. spring — a coil
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. cue — a hint
  8. cue — a signal
  9. wound — an injury
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. wound — an injury
  13. cue — for pool
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. content — happy
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. content — the amount

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