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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. track — to keep track
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. spell — magic
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. cap — a hat
  8. track — a song
  9. cap — of ice
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. rule — government
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. stem — to come from
  15. cap — a lid
  16. track — a path
  17. spell — letters
  18. band — a ring
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. fork — in a road
  21. band — a music group
  22. spell — a short time
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. stem — of a plant

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