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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: trunk · row · cold · suit · mine · mug · kid · ruler

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. row — to paddle
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. row — a line
  5. suit — clothes
  6. cold — not warm
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. cold — an illness
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. mug — a cup
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mug — a face
  14. kid — child
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. mug — to rob
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. suit — to fit
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. kid — to tease

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