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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 116 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 · charge · board · degree · wound · tube · rule · bulb

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. land — to come down
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. rule — government
  6. charge — in control
  7. degree — from a university
  8. wound — an injury
  9. charge — a price
  10. rule — a law
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. degree — temperature
  14. bulb — for light
  15. charge — electricity
  16. wound — an injury
  17. board — to get on
  18. land — ground
  19. tube — a container
  20. board — a committee
  21. bulb — for light
  22. tube — the underground
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. degree — an amount

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