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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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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: hide · race · racket · wound · bore · rule · tear · ruler

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. race — the arms race
  7. bore — to drill
  8. tear — to rip
  9. rule — a law
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. race — humankind
  13. tear — from crying
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. wound — an injury
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. bore — to tire
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. race — a contest
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. tear — from crying
  24. rule — government

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