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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: squash · drill · rush · degree · pop · bound · ground · bore

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. ground — a position
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. pop — soda
  5. drill — a practice
  6. bore — to drill
  7. degree — temperature
  8. bore — to tire
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. bound — obliged
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. ground — crushed
  13. drill — the tool
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. degree — an amount
  16. degree — from a university
  17. drill — army training
  18. bound — certain
  19. rush — hurry
  20. pop — to visit
  21. squash — to crush
  22. pop — music
  23. squash — the sport
  24. ground — the earth

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