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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 120 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: clip · bore · tube · mark · bound · mug · last · rule

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. rule — government
  3. tube — the underground
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bound — obliged
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. clip — a video
  10. mug — to rob
  11. rule — a law
  12. last — to go on
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. last — final
  15. mark — a trace
  16. tube — a container
  17. mug — a face
  18. bore — to tire
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mug — a cup
  21. bound — certain
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. clip — to cut
  24. clip — for paper

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