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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: bore · drill · content · lean · game · row · bound · fall

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bound — certain
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — the season
  5. content — the amount
  6. content — happy
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bound — tied together
  9. drill — a practice
  10. bore — to tire
  11. row — to paddle
  12. bound — obliged
  13. row — a line
  14. lean — to bend
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. drill — army training
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. game — a match
  20. lean — thin
  21. drill — the tool
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. fall — to drop
  24. row — a quarrel

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