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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: wake · bulb · rule · stick · kid · stem · mine · bound

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. wake — a trail
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bulb — for light
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. bound — certain
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. rule — a law
  13. stem — to come from
  14. bound — tied together
  15. kid — child
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. bound — obliged
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mine — for digging
  23. rule — government
  24. kid — to tease

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