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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: row · lie · current · rush · bore · spell · wound · cold

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. spell — a short time
  3. cold — an illness
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. spell — letters
  6. row — to paddle
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. wound — an injury
  10. cold — not warm
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. bore — to drill
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. current — electric
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. spell — magic
  17. current — of water
  18. wound — an injury
  19. row — a line
  20. rush — hurry
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bore — to tire
  24. current — happening now

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