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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: rule · fan · spell · calf · prune · bound · snap · content

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. rule — government
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. snap — to click
  7. content — the amount
  8. spell — magic
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bound — tied together
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bound — obliged
  13. rule — a law
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. content — happy
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. spell — a short time
  20. bound — certain
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. prune — to trim
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. spell — letters

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