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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: wind · wound · bulb · rush · bound · ruler · key · rule

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. wound — an injury
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. wind — moving air
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — for light
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. key — in music
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. bound — certain
  13. rule — government
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. rush — hurry
  18. key — the most important part
  19. bound — obliged
  20. wind — moving air
  21. key — for a lock
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. bound — tied together

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