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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  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. bank — for money
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. content — the amount
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. bank — of a river
  6. spell — a short time
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. race — the arms race
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fall — the season
  12. row — a line
  13. row — to paddle
  14. fall — to drop
  15. rule — government
  16. content — happy
  17. spell — letters
  18. fall — to drop
  19. race — humankind
  20. bank — for money
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. spell — magic
  23. race — a contest
  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