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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: bear · fall · land · lash · hide · ruler · jam · content

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. fall — to drop
  3. land — ground
  4. bear — the animal
  5. land — a country
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. fall — to drop
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. content — the amount
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. bear — the animal
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. land — to come down
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. fall — the season
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. content — happy
  24. hide — to keep secret

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