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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 120 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: rush · bulb · tube · lash · root · wind · land · ruler

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. land — ground
  3. land — a country
  4. wind — moving air
  5. root — the cause
  6. root — of a plant
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. bulb — for light
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. tube — a container
  15. root — of a word
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. land — to come down
  20. bulb — for light
  21. wind — moving air
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. tube — the underground
  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