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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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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: bound · wake · rush · rock · pit · sharp · drill · spring

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. rush — hurry
  3. drill — a practice
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — clever
  7. spring — of water
  8. pit — a hole
  9. spring — the season
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. spring — a coil
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bound — tied together
  14. rock — a stone
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. drill — the tool
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. wake — a trail
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. rock — music
  23. pit — in a race
  24. drill — army training

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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