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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: mine · nail · content · ruler · game · wind · bulb · kid

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. game — a match
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. wind — moving air
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bulb — for light
  10. content — happy
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. game — wild animals
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. kid — child
  20. bulb — for light
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. kid — to tease
  23. mine — for digging
  24. content — the amount

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