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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: arm · spring · tear · fall · race · coach · ruler · fan

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. tear — from crying
  4. race — a contest
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fall — the season
  8. spring — of water
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. spring — the season
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. tear — from crying
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. tear — to rip
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. fall — to drop
  20. spring — a coil
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. race — humankind
  24. race — the arms race

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