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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: bore · ruler · trunk · spring · race · object · cold · current

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. spring — of water
  3. current — happening now
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. cold — not warm
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. bore — to tire
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. spring — a coil
  12. bore — to drill
  13. current — of water
  14. race — a contest
  15. race — the arms race
  16. cold — an illness
  17. spring — the season
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. race — humankind
  20. object — to protest
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. object — a thing
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. current — electric

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