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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: rule · drill · tube · date · spring · lie · mug · sharp

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. mug — to rob
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. rule — a law
  5. mug — a face
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. drill — the tool
  10. mug — a cup
  11. spring — of water
  12. drill — a practice
  13. tube — the underground
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. date — the fruit
  16. spring — the season
  17. sharp — clever
  18. tube — a container
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. lie — to recline
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. rule — government
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. spring — a coil

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