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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: foot · tear · bulb · rush · wake · snap · rash · ruler

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bulb — for light
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. foot — a measure
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. rash — a series
  10. tear — to rip
  11. tear — from crying
  12. snap — to click
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wake — a trail
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. rash — hasty
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. rush — a thrill
  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