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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.

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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: shower · can · cold · plane · spell · rule · object · mug

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. mug — a face
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. can — a tin
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. can — to be able to
  8. shower — to wash
  9. mug — to rob
  10. spell — a short time
  11. plane — a tool
  12. cold — an illness
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. rule — government
  15. object — an aim
  16. can — a tin
  17. spell — magic
  18. shower — rain
  19. rule — a law
  20. object — a thing
  21. mug — a cup
  22. cold — not warm
  23. spell — letters
  24. cold — the Cold War

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