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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: season · lean · bound · nail · root · last · ruler · cap

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. last — finally
  3. cap — a hat
  4. root — of a word
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. cap — of ice
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. bound — obliged
  9. lean — to bend
  10. root — of a plant
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. lean — thin
  13. season — in sport
  14. cap — a lid
  15. bound — certain
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. last — to go on
  18. root — the cause
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. bound — tied together
  21. last — final
  22. season — of the year
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. ruler — for measuring

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