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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 · kid · rock · cell · ruler · bulb · bat · bear

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cell — in biology
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bulb — for light
  6. cell — a phone
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. rock — a stone
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bat — the animal
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. wound — an injury
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. bulb — for light
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. kid — child
  21. rock — music
  22. kid — to tease
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — to put up with

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