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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: current · lash · squash · drill · bound · rule · tear · hand

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bound — obliged
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. bound — certain
  5. tear — from crying
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. drill — a practice
  8. hand — in cards
  9. drill — army training
  10. current — of water
  11. tear — to rip
  12. drill — the tool
  13. hand — help
  14. squash — to crush
  15. rule — a law
  16. squash — the sport
  17. rule — government
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. current — electric
  21. bound — tied together
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. current — happening now

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