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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: rock · mine · tube · club · rule · bound · land · rash

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bound — obliged
  6. club — for golf
  7. club — a group
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. tube — a container
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. rock — music
  12. mine — for digging
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. tube — the underground
  15. rash — a series
  16. land — to come down
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bound — certain
  19. rash — hasty
  20. club — for dancing
  21. rule — government
  22. rock — a stone
  23. land — ground
  24. land — a country

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