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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: wound · press · straw · ruler · cap · tear · last · bulb

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. tear — from crying
  4. last — final
  5. last — finally
  6. press — newspapers
  7. cap — of ice
  8. bulb — for light
  9. last — to go on
  10. cap — a lid
  11. tear — from crying
  12. wound — an injury
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. cap — a hat
  15. tear — to rip
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. press — a publisher
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. press — to push
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. bulb — for light
  24. straw — dry grass

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