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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: tube · mark · ground · wound · spell · chair · cap · rule

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. spell — magic
  3. chair — a leader
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. tube — the underground
  7. mark — a trace
  8. wound — an injury
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. rule — government
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. cap — of ice
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. wound — an injury
  15. spell — letters
  16. cap — a lid
  17. ground — crushed
  18. mark — a grade
  19. rule — a law
  20. ground — the earth
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. spell — a short time
  23. tube — a container
  24. ground — a position

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