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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: fall · cell · wake · bulb · club · ruler

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. club — for dancing
  3. fall — to drop
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. wake — a trail
  8. club — a group
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — for light
  12. fall — to drop
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. cell — a phone
  15. club — for golf
  16. fall — the season
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. cell — in biology

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