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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: rock · spring · bound · clip · object · mouse · rule · rush

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. clip — to cut
  4. spring — the season
  5. rule — a law
  6. object — a thing
  7. rule — government
  8. rush — hurry
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. object — an aim
  12. object — to protest
  13. clip — a video
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. spring — a coil
  16. clip — for paper
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. rock — music
  19. bound — obliged
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. rock — a stone
  22. bound — certain
  23. spring — of water
  24. bound — tied together

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