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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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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: bank · board · ground · court · ruler · nail · bulb · land

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — for money
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. court — of a king
  7. land — a country
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bulb — for light
  11. board — a committee
  12. ground — the earth
  13. court — for sport
  14. land — to come down
  15. board — to get on
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. ground — a position
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. bulb — for light
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bank — of a river
  23. ground — crushed
  24. court — of 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