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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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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: rock · arm · fan · staff · wake · cell · bore · bound

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  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. fan — to cool the air
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bore — to drill
  5. staff — employees
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. cell — a phone
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. rock — a stone
  12. rock — music
  13. staff — a stick
  14. bound — certain
  15. bore — to tire
  16. cell — in biology
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. staff — employees
  20. bound — obliged
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. arm — part of the body
  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