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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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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: cold · wind · suit · cell · craft · bore · ruler · pop

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. cold — an illness
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. suit — in cards
  8. craft — a skill
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. cell — in biology
  11. cell — a phone
  12. cold — not warm
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. suit — clothes
  16. bore — to drill
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pop — soda
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. pop — music
  21. suit — to fit
  22. wind — moving air
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. craft — boats

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