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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: bore · spring · rush · fall · mark · rash · track · bound

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. spring — a coil
  3. track — a path
  4. rush — hurry
  5. track — a song
  6. bore — to drill
  7. fall — to drop
  8. spring — the season
  9. spring — of water
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. mark — a grade
  13. fall — to drop
  14. rash — a series
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bore — to tire
  17. fall — the season
  18. mark — a trace
  19. bound — tied together
  20. track — to keep track
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rash — hasty
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bound — certain

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