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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: ball · ruler · rest · prune · spring · bear · roll · cap

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. cap — of ice
  3. bear — the animal
  4. prune — to trim
  5. cap — a hat
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. spring — of water
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. rest — a break
  11. rest — what's left
  12. prune — to trim
  13. spring — the season
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. ball — a great time
  16. rest — what's left
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. roll — a cake
  19. spring — a coil
  20. ball — a dance
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. cap — a lid
  23. bear — the animal
  24. roll — a list

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