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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 · bulb · mark · wound · rule · rush · ball · rock

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. bulb — for light
  4. mark — a trace
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. ball — a dance
  8. rule — a law
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. bulb — for light
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rule — government
  17. ball — a great time
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. mark — a grade
  20. rush — hurry
  21. wound — an injury
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. wound — an injury
  24. rush — to hurry

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