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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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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: bulb · cold · racket · ruler · wound · bear · deal · pitcher

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. cold — an illness
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. wound — an injury
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. cold — not warm
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bulb — for light
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bear — the animal
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bulb — for light
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. wound — an injury
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. bear — the animal
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. deal — to handle
  24. ruler — for measuring

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