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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: bulb · land · mine · spring · can · lean · firm · rule

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. land — ground
  3. spring — the season
  4. rule — a law
  5. firm — a company
  6. can — to be able to
  7. lean — to bend
  8. spring — a coil
  9. land — to come down
  10. land — a country
  11. mine — for digging
  12. spring — of water
  13. firm — decided
  14. can — a tin
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bulb — for light
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. bulb — for light
  19. rule — government
  20. firm — steady
  21. can — a tin
  22. lean — thin
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. mine — an explosive

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