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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 120 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
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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: rule · charge · last · cabinet · tear · band · spell · wound

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  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. charge — electricity
  2. rule — a law
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. tear — to rip
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. charge — a price
  9. last — final
  10. tear — from crying
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. band — a music group
  13. charge — in control
  14. wound — an injury
  15. spell — letters
  16. rule — government
  17. tear — from crying
  18. last — finally
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. spell — a short time
  21. last — to go on
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. spell — magic
  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