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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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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: stand · fork · ruler · mate · net · spring

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. spring — a coil
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. mate — to breed
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. stand — to bear
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. net — in sport
  10. mate — a friend
  11. net — after costs
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. net — for catching
  14. spring — of water
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. spring — the season
  17. fork — in a road
  18. stand — for spectators

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