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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rash · wind · rule · tube · bowl · march · firm · spell

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. firm — steady
  4. rule — a law
  5. rash — a series
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. march — the month
  8. rash — hasty
  9. wind — moving air
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. tube — a container
  12. spell — a short time
  13. march — the month
  14. rule — government
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. spell — magic
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. tube — the underground
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. march — music
  22. spell — letters
  23. firm — a company
  24. firm — decided

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