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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: rule · stock · suit · cell · lean · spell · row · rash

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. lean — to bend
  3. suit — to fit
  4. rash — hasty
  5. cell — in biology
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. row — a line
  8. spell — letters
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. row — to paddle
  11. rash — a series
  12. stock — shares
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. stock — goods
  16. suit — in cards
  17. lean — thin
  18. cell — a phone
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. rule — a law
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. spell — magic
  23. suit — clothes
  24. spell — a short time

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