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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: wound · bulb · cold · lie · fork · ruler · net · spring

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. cold — an illness
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spring — the season
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. bulb — for light
  11. net — for catching
  12. spring — of water
  13. cold — not warm
  14. net — after costs
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. fork — in a road
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. lie — to recline
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. bulb — for light
  23. net — in sport
  24. lie — an untruth

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