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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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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 · stand · snap · field · lean · fork

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  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. rule — government
  2. field — for sport
  3. fork — in a road
  4. spell — a short time
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. field — a subject
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. spell — letters
  14. lean — thin
  15. field — farmland
  16. stand — to bear
  17. lean — to bend
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. wake — a trail
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. spell — magic
  22. snap — to click
  23. rule — to rule out
  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