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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 116 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 · bound · staff · fan · bore · hide · cap · ground

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bound — obliged
  4. staff — employees
  5. bore — to tire
  6. cap — a hat
  7. ground — a position
  8. staff — employees
  9. ground — the earth
  10. staff — a stick
  11. cap — a lid
  12. rule — a law
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. cap — of ice
  15. bore — to drill
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. bound — tied together
  19. rule — government
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bound — certain
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. ground — crushed
  24. fan — a supporter

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