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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. cap — of ice
  3. cap — a lid
  4. bank — for money
  5. bank — for money
  6. land — ground
  7. perch — the fish
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. net — after costs
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pop — music
  13. rash — a series
  14. cap — a hat
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. bank — of a river
  17. net — for catching
  18. pop — soda
  19. net — in sport
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. land — to come down
  24. land — a country

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