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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 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. last — finally
  3. charge — a price
  4. rule — a law
  5. field — a subject
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bank — of a river
  8. rule — government
  9. bass — the fish
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. charge — in control
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. field — for sport
  14. bass — low music
  15. last — final
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. field — farmland
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. charge — electricity
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. bank — for money
  22. last — to go on
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. fork — in a road

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