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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: band · rest · present · spring · ruler · content · land · bark

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. content — the amount
  3. spring — the season
  4. spring — of water
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. land — ground
  7. content — happy
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. band — a music group
  10. land — to come down
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bark — to shout
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — a break
  16. land — a country
  17. band — a ring
  18. present — a gift
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. present — there
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. present — the time now
  23. spring — a coil
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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