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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: wave · bulb · trunk · game · pound · tear · ruler · rule

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  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. rule — government
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. game — a match
  5. pound — a weight
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. rule — a law
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. tear — to rip
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. bulb — for light
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. tear — from crying
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. game — wild animals
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bulb — for light
  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