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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: land · hide · wound · ground · rule · row · bat · bore

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. wound — an injury
  4. ground — the earth
  5. bore — to drill
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. row — to paddle
  10. rule — government
  11. ground — crushed
  12. bat — the animal
  13. land — a country
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. ground — a position
  18. land — ground
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. row — a line
  21. rule — a law
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bat — in an idiom

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