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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: bulb · tear · rule · wave · land · toast · wake · bound

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. tear — from crying
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. wake — a trail
  5. land — ground
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. bound — certain
  8. rule — a law
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bound — tied together
  11. rule — government
  12. toast — bread
  13. bulb — for light
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. bound — obliged
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. tear — from crying
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. tear — to rip
  21. land — a country
  22. land — to come down
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. rule — to rule out

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