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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 · coach · cap · mine · rule · roll · bore · saw

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. roll — a cake
  4. cap — a lid
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bound — tied together
  7. cap — a hat
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bound — certain
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bound — obliged
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. rule — government
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. cap — of ice
  18. mine — for digging
  19. bore — to tire
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. roll — a list
  23. bore — to drill
  24. roll — on a roll

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