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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: pop · rule · pass · spell · bound · tear · season · shower

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. spell — letters
  3. bound — obliged
  4. season — in sport
  5. tear — from crying
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. season — of the year
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — magic
  10. pass — a permit
  11. rule — government
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bound — certain
  14. tear — from crying
  15. pop — to visit
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. rule — a law
  18. shower — to wash
  19. shower — rain
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. pop — soda
  23. tear — to rip
  24. rule — to rule out

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