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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: bore · file · pound · fan · wake · rule · degree · rash

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. degree — from a university
  4. degree — temperature
  5. rash — hasty
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. rule — a law
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. rash — a series
  15. bore — to tire
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a tool
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. wake — a trail
  21. pound — a weight
  22. degree — an amount
  23. rule — government
  24. bore — to drill

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