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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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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: row · land · season · bulb · rule · leaves · lash · hand

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. land — ground
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. season — in sport
  5. hand — help
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. season — of the year
  9. land — to come down
  10. bulb — for light
  11. row — a line
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. rule — government
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. row — to paddle
  18. hand — in cards
  19. bulb — for light
  20. land — a country
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. rule — a law

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