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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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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: last · ruler · mouse · content · rest · wax · spring · bat

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bat — the animal
  5. content — the amount
  6. spring — the season
  7. rest — a break
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. last — finally
  13. spring — of water
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. last — to go on
  18. rest — what's left
  19. spring — a coil
  20. last — final
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. rest — what's left
  23. content — happy
  24. wax — to grow

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