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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: band · tear · rule · suit · stick · lean · pitcher · spell

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  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. lean — to rest against
  2. spell — magic
  3. lean — thin
  4. suit — in cards
  5. rule — government
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. band — a music group
  9. suit — to fit
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. spell — a short time
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. rule — a law
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. band — a ring
  18. tear — from crying
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. tear — from crying
  21. spell — letters
  22. tear — to rip
  23. lean — to bend
  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