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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 116 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: pound · bark · ruler · deal · trunk · land · bulb · cold

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. pound — a weight
  6. land — ground
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. bark — to shout
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. land — a country
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — for light
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. deal — to handle
  17. land — to come down
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. cold — not warm
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. deal — an agreement

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