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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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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: ruler · bank · mate · cold · field · bowl

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. mate — to breed
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. cold — not warm
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. field — farmland
  9. cold — an illness
  10. bank — for money
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. field — for sport
  14. bank — for money
  15. field — a subject
  16. mate — a friend
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. mate — a partner

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