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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rule · chest · bulb · squash · bank · cap · spring · net

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. spring — a coil
  4. chest — a box
  5. spring — of water
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. net — after costs
  8. bank — of a river
  9. bulb — for light
  10. rule — a law
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. squash — to crush
  14. cap — a lid
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — for catching
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. bank — for money
  19. spring — the season
  20. squash — the sport
  21. cap — a hat
  22. bank — for money
  23. bulb — for light
  24. cap — of ice

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