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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: present · spell · jam · rule · bound · band · tear · hide

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. rule — government
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. bound — tied together
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bound — obliged
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. bound — certain
  11. present — a gift
  12. tear — from crying
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. present — the time now
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. present — there
  17. spell — letters
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. rule — a law
  20. band — a music group
  21. spell — a short time
  22. spell — magic
  23. tear — to rip
  24. band — a ring

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