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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: nail · rule · date · bore · wind · cell

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. rule — government
  3. bore — to drill
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bore — to tire
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. cell — a phone
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. date — the fruit
  14. cell — in biology
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. rule — a 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