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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 120 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: tear · wind · bulb · mine · rule · hide · wax · mark

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. rule — government
  3. wind — moving air
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mark — a grade
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. tear — from crying
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. wax — to grow
  17. tear — to rip
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. tear — from crying
  21. rule — a law
  22. bulb — for light
  23. mark — a trace
  24. mine — belonging to me

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