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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: fan · nail · rush · wave · cold · bulb · kid · rule

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. bulb — for light
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. kid — to tease
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. cold — an illness
  11. kid — child
  12. bulb — for light
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. rule — a law
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. rule — government
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. cold — not warm
  24. fan — to cool the air

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