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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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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: coach · ruler · tube · branch · bulb · swing · sharp · rule

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  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. bulb — of a plant
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. sharp — clever
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tube — a container
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. swing — to play on
  11. branch — a division
  12. swing — music
  13. swing — in golf
  14. rule — government
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. bulb — for light
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. bulb — for light
  23. rule — a law
  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