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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: arm · bulb · pitcher · ruler · cold · mine · trunk · pass

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. cold — an illness
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. bulb — for light
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bulb — for light
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. cold — not warm
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. pass — a permit
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. mine — for digging

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