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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: bound · nail · current · ruler · wind · cap · rush · coach

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. cap — a hat
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. current — of water
  5. rush — hurry
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. current — electric
  8. bound — obliged
  9. wind — moving air
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cap — a lid
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bound — certain
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. current — happening now
  24. wind — moving air

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