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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: mine · ruler · wind · bulb · cell · object · game · kid

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. object — a thing
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. game — wild animals
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. cell — a phone
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bulb — for light
  10. cell — in biology
  11. kid — to tease
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. mine — for digging
  15. bulb — for light
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. kid — child
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. game — a match
  20. object — to protest
  21. object — an aim
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. game — a kind of play
  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