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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: root · rule · tear · cabinet · rush · cold · bat · bore

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. bore — to drill
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. root — the cause
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. tear — from crying
  7. rule — government
  8. tear — to rip
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. root — of a plant
  13. rule — a law
  14. cold — not warm
  15. bat — the animal
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rush — hurry
  20. tear — from crying
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. root — of a word
  24. bore — to tire

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