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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: bank · drill · spring · cap · bore · hide · rash · roll

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bank — of a river
  3. spring — the season
  4. spring — a coil
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. spring — of water
  7. bore — to tire
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. roll — a list
  10. rash — hasty
  11. drill — the tool
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bank — for money
  15. roll — a cake
  16. drill — a practice
  17. cap — of ice
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — a series
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. drill — army training
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. cap — a lid
  24. bank — for money

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