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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: rule · saw · suit · content · stem · land · bulb · mate

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. land — a country
  3. content — the amount
  4. bulb — for light
  5. land — ground
  6. content — happy
  7. mate — a friend
  8. land — to come down
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. mate — to breed
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. suit — to fit
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. suit — clothes
  15. bulb — for light
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. mate — a partner
  19. rule — a law
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stem — to come from
  22. suit — in cards
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — the tool

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