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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: wind · temple · rule · rush · mug · bark · drill · swing

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. rule — a law
  3. mug — to rob
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. drill — a practice
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. rush — hurry
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. swing — to play on
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. swing — in golf
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. swing — music
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. drill — army training
  16. wind — moving air
  17. rule — government
  18. drill — the tool
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bark — to shout
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. mug — a face
  24. mug — a cup

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