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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: squash · lean · bound · rush · cell · bore · ruler · bulb

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. bore — to drill
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. lean — thin
  5. lean — to bend
  6. cell — a phone
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bound — obliged
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. cell — in biology
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bound — certain
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. squash — the sport
  20. rush — hurry
  21. squash — to crush
  22. bulb — for light
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. rush — a thrill

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