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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: tear · ruler · object · cold · spring · leaves · pitcher · bulb

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. spring — a coil
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. cold — not warm
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. tear — to rip
  11. bulb — for light
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. spring — of water
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. spring — the season
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. object — a thing
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bulb — for light
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. object — an aim
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. tear — from crying

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