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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.

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: rash · land · stick · date · wake · bulb · dip · rule

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  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. date — on the calendar
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. land — a country
  4. bulb — for light
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. rash — hasty
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. rash — a series
  10. rule — a law
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — ground
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — the fruit
  19. wake — a trail
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. dip — to sink
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. bulb — for light
  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