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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: last · rule · tube · spell · tear · ruler

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. last — finally
  3. spell — a short time
  4. tear — from crying
  5. last — final
  6. tear — from crying
  7. spell — letters
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. last — to go on
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. tube — the underground
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. tube — a container
  14. rule — a law
  15. spell — magic
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. rule — government

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