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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 · fine · march · rush · mine · wound · bear · cap

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bore — to drill
  5. wound — an injury
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. march — the month
  8. cap — a hat
  9. bear — the animal
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bore — to tire
  13. mine — for digging
  14. fine — high quality
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. cap — of ice
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. march — the month
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. cap — a lid
  22. fine — all right
  23. march — music
  24. rush — a thrill

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