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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: row · bore · rash · wound · squash · rule · bulb · last

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. wound — an injury
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. rash — a series
  5. rule — a law
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bore — to drill
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rule — government
  10. last — finally
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. row — to paddle
  13. bulb — for light
  14. rash — hasty
  15. last — final
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. bulb — for light
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. last — to go on
  20. squash — to crush
  21. squash — the sport
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. row — a line

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