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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: kid · rule · saw · scale · bear · bound · press · drill

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. press — a publisher
  3. press — to push
  4. rule — government
  5. kid — child
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. scale — size or range
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bear — the animal
  10. kid — to tease
  11. bound — certain
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. drill — a practice
  15. bound — obliged
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. press — newspapers
  18. rule — a law
  19. drill — army training
  20. saw — the tool
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. scale — in music
  23. drill — the tool
  24. bound — tied together

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