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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 116 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: spring · chair · wind · ruler · mug · rock · net · mine

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. net — in sport
  3. spring — a coil
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. mug — a cup
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. mug — to rob
  8. mug — a face
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. wind — moving air
  11. spring — the season
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. chair — a leader
  14. rock — music
  15. mine — for digging
  16. net — after costs
  17. rock — a stone
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. spring — of water
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. net — for catching
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. wind — moving air

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