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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: drill · rule · stem · fork · bore · file · race · band

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  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. file — a line of people
  2. drill — a practice
  3. drill — the tool
  4. race — a contest
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. file — a tool
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. stem — to come from
  9. bore — to tire
  10. rule — a law
  11. band — a ring
  12. bore — to drill
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. race — humankind
  16. band — a music group
  17. drill — army training
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. fork — in a road
  20. file — a document
  21. race — the arms race
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. fork — to eat with
  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