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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. craft — a skill
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. bulb — for light
  6. rule — a law
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. tube — a container
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. sharp — clever
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bound — obliged
  13. craft — boats
  14. bound — certain
  15. bound — tied together
  16. scale — size or range
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. tube — the underground
  19. root — of a plant
  20. scale — in music
  21. root — the cause
  22. root — of a word
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. bulb — of a plant

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