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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
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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: bat · safe · rule · land · wake · cell · spell · spring

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. wake — a trail
  5. land — a country
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — a coil
  8. spell — a short time
  9. rule — government
  10. cell — in biology
  11. rule — a law
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. bat — the animal
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. land — to come down
  19. spring — the season
  20. land — ground
  21. spell — letters
  22. cell — a phone
  23. spell — magic
  24. bat — for baseball

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