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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: can · spell · field · land · temple · rule · tube · cue

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. rule — a law
  3. tube — a container
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. spell — a short time
  7. can — a tin
  8. cue — a signal
  9. can — to be able to
  10. land — a country
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. field — for sport
  14. cue — for pool
  15. field — a subject
  16. can — a tin
  17. tube — the underground
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. land — to come down
  20. spell — magic
  21. spell — letters
  22. rule — government
  23. field — farmland
  24. land — ground

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