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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: bound · pitcher · mate · drill · fork · rush · lie · rest

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. fork — in a road
  4. drill — a practice
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. drill — army training
  9. mate — a partner
  10. rest — what's left
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. rest — a break
  14. lie — to recline
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. mate — a friend
  17. bound — tied together
  18. drill — the tool
  19. bound — obliged
  20. mate — to breed
  21. bound — certain
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. rush — to hurry

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