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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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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: bulb · spring · face · ruler · scale · wind · drill · capital

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  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. ruler — for measuring
  2. face — part of the head
  3. capital — a city
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. scale — size or range
  7. drill — a practice
  8. face — to point toward
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. scale — in music
  13. spring — a coil
  14. bulb — for light
  15. drill — army training
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. bulb — for light
  18. spring — the season
  19. wind — moving air
  20. capital — money
  21. face — to confront
  22. spring — of water
  23. drill — the tool
  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