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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: rule · wake · spell · cell · content · tear · cabinet · hide

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  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. content — the amount
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. tear — from crying
  4. wake — a trail
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. tear — from crying
  8. spell — letters
  9. rule — a law
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spell — magic
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. tear — to rip
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cell — a phone
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. rule — government
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. content — happy
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  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