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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: land · bulb · press · rest · ruler · wound · spring · cue

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. spring — a coil
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. press — to push
  5. land — a country
  6. cue — a hint
  7. land — to come down
  8. cue — for pool
  9. press — a publisher
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. bulb — for light
  13. wound — an injury
  14. rest — what's left
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. spring — the season
  17. rest — a break
  18. spring — of water
  19. press — newspapers
  20. land — ground
  21. wound — an injury
  22. rest — what's left
  23. cue — a signal
  24. bulb — for light

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