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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: rule · bay · present · pound · stem · spell · wound · saw

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. rule — government
  6. spell — letters
  7. rule — a law
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — magic
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. pound — a weight
  18. saw — the tool
  19. present — there
  20. saw — the tool
  21. present — the time now
  22. present — a gift
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stem — a stem cell

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