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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: rule · bulb · wave · tear · patient · bound · land · kid

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  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. patient — a sick person
  2. rule — a law
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. bulb — for light
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — to rip
  7. bulb — for light
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. land — ground
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. land — to come down
  13. land — a country
  14. tear — from crying
  15. kid — child
  16. bound — tied together
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bound — obliged
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. rule — government
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. bound — certain
  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