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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 · ruler · rule · swing · land · nail · bark · fall

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. swing — to play on
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. land — to come down
  8. swing — in golf
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — the season
  11. rule — a law
  12. swing — music
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. fall — to drop
  15. land — a country
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. rule — government
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. bark — to shout
  23. land — ground
  24. ruler — for measuring

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