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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: drill · pit · suit · tear · rock · bound · spring · stick

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. drill — the tool
  4. rock — music
  5. tear — to rip
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. bound — obliged
  8. spring — the season
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bound — tied together
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. drill — a practice
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. tear — from crying
  15. drill — army training
  16. suit — clothes
  17. spring — a coil
  18. rock — a stone
  19. pit — in a race
  20. pit — a hole
  21. bound — certain
  22. suit — in cards
  23. suit — to fit
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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