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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: can · cell · mug · spell · current · rule · wake · hide

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. spell — magic
  3. mug — to rob
  4. can — to be able to
  5. current — of water
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. cell — a phone
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. spell — a short time
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. mug — a cup
  14. can — a tin
  15. rule — government
  16. wake — a trail
  17. current — happening now
  18. spell — letters
  19. rule — a law
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. current — electric
  22. mug — a face
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. cell — in biology

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