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

Word bank: spell · stick · rule · march · bank · cell

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. spell — letters
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. rule — a law
  6. cell — in biology
  7. march — the month
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. cell — a phone
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. march — the month
  12. bank — for money
  13. spell — magic
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bank — for money
  16. spell — a short time
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. march — music

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