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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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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: rock · prune · land · dip · rule · bound · wax · ruler

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. land — a country
  5. rule — a law
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. prune — to trim
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. bound — tied together
  12. rock — a stone
  13. bound — obliged
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bound — certain
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. rock — music
  18. land — to come down
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. wax — to grow
  21. dip — to sink
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. rule — government

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