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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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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: spring · mouse · safe · bat · stick · ruler · cell · tube

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. spring — the season
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. spring — a coil
  10. tube — a container
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bat — the animal
  14. cell — a phone
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. cell — in biology
  22. tube — the underground
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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