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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 116 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: hand · staff · wake · squash · bore · mate · cabinet · rule

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bore — to drill
  3. staff — employees
  4. bore — to tire
  5. rule — government
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. mate — a friend
  8. wake — a trail
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. rule — a law
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. hand — help
  13. squash — the sport
  14. hand — in cards
  15. mate — a partner
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. mate — to breed
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. staff — a stick
  22. staff — employees
  23. squash — to crush
  24. cabinet — ministers

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