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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 120 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: tear · stand · spell · pitcher · chest · rule · content · perch

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. rule — government
  4. spell — a short time
  5. tear — from crying
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. tear — from crying
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. content — the amount
  10. stand — to bear
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. chest — a box
  13. perch — the fish
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. chest — of your body
  16. spell — magic
  17. rule — a law
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. chest — of your body
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. spell — letters
  22. tear — to rip
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. content — happy

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