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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: press · rash · bound · bore · fall · rule · bear · board

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  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. board — a committee
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. rash — hasty
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bound — certain
  6. bear — the animal
  7. rash — a series
  8. bore — to tire
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bound — obliged
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. press — newspapers
  16. bound — tied together
  17. press — to push
  18. fall — the season
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bore — to drill
  21. press — a publisher
  22. rule — a law
  23. board — to get on
  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