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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: file · stock · pound · spell · nail · wake · rule · season

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. season — of the year
  5. spell — letters
  6. rule — government
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. season — in sport
  9. file — a line of people
  10. spell — magic
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. file — a tool
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — shares
  17. spell — a short time
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. file — a document
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wake — a trail
  22. pound — a weight
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. rule — a law

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