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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: land · mark · cell · jam · ruler · stock · nail · bound

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. land — ground
  4. mark — a trace
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. bound — certain
  9. land — to come down
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. stock — goods
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. land — a country
  17. mark — a grade
  18. stock — shares
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. bound — tied together
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cell — in biology
  24. cell — in a prison

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