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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: rule · safe · wound · wind · fine · band · bulb · pound

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. band — a ring
  3. wound — an injury
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. bulb — for light
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bulb — for light
  10. rule — a law
  11. band — a music group
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. fine — high quality
  14. fine — all right
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. wound — an injury
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. rule — government
  19. wind — moving air
  20. pound — a weight
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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