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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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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: snap · bound · pop · lean · spell · perch · track · rule

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. rule — government
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. track — to keep track
  5. lean — thin
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bound — obliged
  9. snap — to click
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. perch — the fish
  12. track — a path
  13. spell — letters
  14. lean — to bend
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — certain
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. pop — to visit
  19. track — a song
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. rule — a law
  22. spell — magic
  23. pop — soda
  24. pop — music

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