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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 120 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: bound · club · tear · wake · kick · ruler · land · can

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. can — a tin
  3. land — a country
  4. land — to come down
  5. club — for dancing
  6. club — for golf
  7. bound — certain
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. can — a tin
  11. wake — a trail
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. tear — from crying
  15. club — a group
  16. bound — obliged
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. tear — from crying
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. tear — to rip
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. land — ground
  23. kick — in football
  24. can — to be able to

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