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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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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: wound · wake · hide · rule · bulb · straw · rest · bowl

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. rule — a law
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. rest — a break
  7. rest — what's left
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. wake — a trail
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. rule — government
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. bulb — for light
  18. wound — an injury
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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