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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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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: wound · bear · rule · fan · band · drill · stick · rest

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. rest — a break
  3. band — a music group
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. wound — an injury
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. drill — army training
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — the animal
  11. rest — what's left
  12. drill — the tool
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. rule — a law
  20. band — a ring
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. wound — an injury
  23. rest — what's left
  24. drill — a practice

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