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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: trunk · coach · bowl · shower · drill · date · rule · bound

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. date — the fruit
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. drill — army training
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. drill — a practice
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. drill — the tool
  10. bound — obliged
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bound — tied together
  13. shower — rain
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bound — certain
  18. rule — a law
  19. shower — to wash
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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