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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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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: tear · bound · spell · rule · rock · lash · lean · chair

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bound — tied together
  7. tear — from crying
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. spell — a short time
  10. bound — certain
  11. chair — a leader
  12. tear — from crying
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. spell — magic
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. tear — to rip
  17. rock — a stone
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. rule — a law
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. lean — thin
  22. rule — government
  23. lean — to bend
  24. rock — music

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