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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 120 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: march · bear · ruler · bore · drill · bound · field · race

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. race — a contest
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. march — the month
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bore — to tire
  7. field — for sport
  8. drill — a practice
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. field — farmland
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. race — the arms race
  14. drill — army training
  15. march — the month
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. race — humankind
  18. field — a subject
  19. march — music
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bear — the animal
  22. drill — the tool
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bound — obliged

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