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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. rule — government
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bore — to drill
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. wind — moving air
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. cue — for pool
  12. cue — a hint
  13. can — a tin
  14. wound — an injury
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. bear — the animal
  17. can — a tin
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bear — the animal
  20. rule — a law
  21. can — to be able to
  22. band — a music group
  23. band — a ring
  24. cue — a signal

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