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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 120 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: rule · bore · wave · temple · wind · dip · court · wound

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. court — for sport
  9. court — of law
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. dip — to sink
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. rule — a law
  17. bore — to drill
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. court — of a king
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. rule — government
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. wind — moving air

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