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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: saw · lie · roll · bound · bore · rule · wind · wound

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bore — to drill
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. wound — an injury
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. wound — an injury
  12. roll — a cake
  13. bound — certain
  14. bound — tied together
  15. roll — a list
  16. bore — to tire
  17. saw — the tool
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. wind — moving air
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. rule — government
  23. rule — a law
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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