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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 · hide · pound · club · jam · rush · spell · file

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. club — a group
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. rush — hurry
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. file — a tool
  11. club — for dancing
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bore — to drill
  15. file — a line of people
  16. spell — magic
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. spell — letters
  20. pound — a weight
  21. file — a document
  22. bore — to tire
  23. spell — a short time
  24. club — for golf

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