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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: spell · lash · field · stick · stock · wound · bound · rule

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. bound — certain
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. field — for sport
  6. bound — obliged
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. stock — shares
  10. spell — a short time
  11. wound — an injury
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. bound — tied together
  16. field — farmland
  17. field — a subject
  18. wound — an injury
  19. spell — letters
  20. stock — goods
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. rule — a law
  24. spell — magic

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