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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 · bulb · pop · file · hand · tear · saw · arm

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. hand — help
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pop — soda
  5. pop — music
  6. file — a tool
  7. hand — in cards
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. rule — government
  11. bulb — for light
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — to rip
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. file — a document
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. saw — the tool
  21. file — a line of people
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. bulb — for light

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