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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 120 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: season · lie · ruler · pitcher · pound · hand · wind · bear

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — in sport
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. pound — a weight
  7. hand — in cards
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. bear — the animal
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — help
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. wind — moving air
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. lie — to recline
  23. bear — the animal
  24. pound — to hit hard

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