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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: spring · ruler · band · track · mug · bat · court · wave

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. court — of law
  4. track — a song
  5. spring — of water
  6. court — for sport
  7. spring — a coil
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bat — the animal
  11. track — a path
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. band — a music group
  14. spring — the season
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. mug — to rob
  17. band — a ring
  18. mug — a cup
  19. court — of a king
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. track — to keep track
  24. mug — a face

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