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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 116 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: cell · rule · track · season · tear · spell · rush · bore

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. season — of the year
  3. track — to keep track
  4. tear — to rip
  5. rush — hurry
  6. cell — in biology
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bore — to drill
  9. spell — magic
  10. season — in sport
  11. cell — a phone
  12. rule — government
  13. track — a path
  14. tear — from crying
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. spell — letters
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. spell — a short time
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. rule — a law
  24. track — a song

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