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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: drill · bound · stock · rule · shower · row · bulb · chest

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. bulb — for light
  3. drill — army training
  4. bulb — for light
  5. stock — shares
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. chest — of your body
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. rule — a law
  10. drill — a practice
  11. bound — tied together
  12. stock — goods
  13. shower — rain
  14. drill — the tool
  15. bound — certain
  16. row — to paddle
  17. row — a line
  18. shower — to wash
  19. chest — of your body
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bound — obliged
  23. rule — government
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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