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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 · plane · land · hand · ruler · rock · last · bore

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. rock — music
  3. hand — in cards
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. plane — a tool
  6. land — ground
  7. bound — obliged
  8. land — to come down
  9. last — finally
  10. bore — to drill
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. hand — help
  14. bore — to tire
  15. land — a country
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. rock — a stone
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. last — final
  20. bound — certain
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. last — to go on
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. hand — part of the body

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