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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 116 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: kid · bank · rule · tear · cabinet · bulb · tube · rest

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. kid — child
  3. tear — to rip
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. rest — a break
  6. tube — the underground
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rule — a law
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. tear — from crying
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bank — for money
  14. bank — for money
  15. kid — to tease
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bank — of a river
  21. rule — government
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. tube — a container
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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