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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wind · spell · bark · rule · wave · bound · coach · prune

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. spell — magic
  5. rule — a law
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. bound — certain
  8. spell — a short time
  9. rule — government
  10. bound — tied together
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. prune — to trim
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. spell — letters
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. bound — obliged
  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