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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: rush · ruler · chest · kid · firm · last · bulb · field

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. firm — a company
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. firm — steady
  6. chest — a box
  7. last — final
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. kid — to tease
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bulb — for light
  12. kid — child
  13. field — farmland
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. firm — decided
  17. rush — hurry
  18. field — for sport
  19. last — to go on
  20. last — finally
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. field — a subject
  24. chest — of your body

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