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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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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: spring · roll · stand · rule · bear · bore · object · cell

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. object — a thing
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. bore — to drill
  7. object — an aim
  8. rule — government
  9. rule — a law
  10. stand — to bear
  11. bear — the animal
  12. object — to protest
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bear — the animal
  15. spring — a coil
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — of water
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. roll — a list
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. bore — to tire
  23. roll — a cake
  24. cell — in biology

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