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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 · bat · saw · rule · ruler · bulb · hand · wind

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  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. saw — the tool
  2. bulb — for light
  3. rule — government
  4. wind — moving air
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wind — moving air
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. rule — a law
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. hand — help
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. bat — the animal
  19. saw — the tool
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. hand — in cards
  23. ruler — a monarch
  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