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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ruler · hand · spring · march · hide · bear · file · plane

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bear — the animal
  3. file — a document
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. march — the month
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. hand — in cards
  8. file — a line of people
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. spring — a coil
  13. plane — a tool
  14. hand — help
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — the season
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. file — a tool
  24. march — music

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