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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: mouse · sharp · band · rash · present · row · spring · ruler

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. spring — the season
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. rash — a series
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. row — a line
  11. spring — of water
  12. sharp — clever
  13. rash — hasty
  14. present — there
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. present — the time now
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. present — a gift
  21. row — to paddle
  22. band — a ring
  23. spring — a coil
  24. band — a music group

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