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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: ruler · bulb · wind · kid · wax · band · bat · cell

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. wind — moving air
  5. kid — child
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. bulb — for light
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. bat — the animal
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. bulb — for light
  12. wax — to grow
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. band — a music group
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. cell — in biology
  19. band — a ring
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. kid — to tease
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. cell — a phone

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