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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. bound — obliged
  4. spell — a short time
  5. spell — letters
  6. land — to come down
  7. rule — government
  8. rock — music
  9. face — part of the head
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. face — to confront
  12. branch — a division
  13. rule — a law
  14. bound — certain
  15. rock — a stone
  16. land — ground
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. bound — tied together
  21. land — a country
  22. spell — magic
  23. face — to point toward
  24. rule — to rule out

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