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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. rule — a law
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. bank — of a river
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — for money
  8. root — of a plant
  9. club — a group
  10. saw — the tool
  11. club — for dancing
  12. root — the cause
  13. root — of a word
  14. clip — for paper
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. clip — a video
  18. ground — a position
  19. rule — government
  20. clip — to cut
  21. club — for golf
  22. ground — crushed
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. ground — the earth

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