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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bound · rule · ruler · mine · wave · spring · content · degree

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. bound — certain
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. degree — an amount
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. rule — government
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. bound — tied together
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. content — the amount
  15. spring — a coil
  16. spring — the season
  17. content — happy
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. degree — from a university
  20. bound — obliged
  21. degree — temperature
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. mine — for digging
  24. spring — of water

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