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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. spring — of water
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. drill — a practice
  6. file — a line of people
  7. spring — the season
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. spring — a coil
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. drill — the tool
  15. file — a document
  16. drill — army training
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — certain
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. wake — a trail
  24. file — a tool

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