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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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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: ground · rush · club · cell · spell · bound · bulb · ruler

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. bulb — for light
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. club — for golf
  5. bound — tied together
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. spell — letters
  8. ground — crushed
  9. rush — hurry
  10. club — for dancing
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. ground — a position
  13. cell — a phone
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bound — obliged
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. spell — magic
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. club — a group
  21. spell — a short time
  22. ground — the earth
  23. bound — certain
  24. rush — to hurry

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