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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bore · fork · bound · stem · roll · rule · court · drill

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. court — of law
  3. roll — a cake
  4. rule — government
  5. drill — the tool
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. bore — to tire
  8. drill — a practice
  9. bound — tied together
  10. roll — a list
  11. court — of a king
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. court — for sport
  15. bound — obliged
  16. drill — army training
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bound — certain
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. rule — a law
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stem — to come from
  24. fork — in a road

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