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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.

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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: ball · wound · ruler · cap · bear · fine · tube · cold

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. fine — all right
  3. fine — high quality
  4. wound — an injury
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. ball — a great time
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cap — a hat
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tube — a container
  15. bear — the animal
  16. cap — a lid
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. tube — the underground
  19. cold — an illness
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. ball — a dance
  22. cap — of ice
  23. bear — the animal
  24. ruler — a monarch

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