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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 116 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: fall · ruler · bowl · file · content · object · bulb · mine

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. fall — the season
  4. content — happy
  5. bulb — for light
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. content — the amount
  9. mine — for digging
  10. bulb — for light
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. object — a thing
  15. fall — to drop
  16. file — a document
  17. object — to protest
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. file — a line of people
  22. fall — to drop
  23. file — a tool
  24. object — an aim

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