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

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. rock — music
  3. spell — magic
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. bound — obliged
  6. wind — moving air
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bound — tied together
  9. spell — letters
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. tear — to rip
  13. rule — government
  14. bound — certain
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. tear — from crying
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. stem — to come from
  20. rule — a law
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. rock — a stone
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. wind — moving air

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