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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: suit · root · stem · rule · can · bay · last · spell

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. spell — letters
  3. rule — government
  4. last — finally
  5. stem — to come from
  6. last — final
  7. root — the cause
  8. rule — a law
  9. suit — to fit
  10. suit — in cards
  11. spell — magic
  12. can — a tin
  13. last — to go on
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. root — of a plant
  16. can — to be able to
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. spell — a short time
  22. root — of a word
  23. can — a tin
  24. suit — clothes

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