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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 120 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: fork · wind · bear · spring · mouse · present · ruler · row

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. bear — the animal
  3. present — the time now
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. present — a gift
  6. wind — moving air
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. wind — moving air
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bear — the animal
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. spring — the season
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. fork — in a road
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. row — to paddle
  18. present — there
  19. spring — of water
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. row — a line
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. row — a quarrel

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