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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: arm · spring · mouse · fine · tear · bulb · chest · rule

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bulb — for light
  4. spring — the season
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fine — all right
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. chest — a box
  12. tear — from crying
  13. rule — a law
  14. rule — government
  15. spring — of water
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. spring — a coil
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. bulb — for light
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — of your body
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. tear — to rip

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