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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: land · ruler · rule · rush · lean · leaves · bat · bulb

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. land — ground
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. lean — thin
  5. rule — a law
  6. rush — hurry
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. rule — government
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bulb — for light
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. land — a country
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. bat — the animal
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. land — to come down
  18. bulb — for light
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. lean — to rest against

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