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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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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: bound · drill · mine · rule · chest · nail · suit · prune

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. drill — army training
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bound — obliged
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. suit — clothes
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. drill — the tool
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. suit — to fit
  12. bound — certain
  13. chest — of your body
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bound — tied together
  17. chest — a box
  18. drill — a practice
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. suit — in cards
  21. rule — a law
  22. prune — to trim
  23. mine — for digging
  24. rule — government

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