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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 · kid · ruler · cabinet · spring · can · rash · bay

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. kid — child
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. rash — a series
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. spring — of water
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. spring — a coil
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. kid — to tease
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. can — to be able to
  18. spring — the season
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — a tin
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — an injury
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. bay — a horse colour

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