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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: spring · march · bulb · clip · deal · rash · bowl · ruler

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. clip — a video
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bulb — for light
  6. march — the month
  7. rash — a series
  8. clip — to cut
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. march — music
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. march — the month
  14. clip — for paper
  15. spring — of water
  16. bulb — for light
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. spring — the season
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. rash — hasty
  22. deal — to handle
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. spring — a coil

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