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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 120 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: bear · ruler · staff · trunk · rush · lash · game · cold

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  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. bear — the animal
  2. cold — not warm
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. staff — employees
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. game — a match
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. cold — an illness
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. game — wild animals
  15. staff — a stick
  16. rush — hurry
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. staff — employees
  23. bear — the animal
  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