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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 120 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. rule — government
  4. bank — of a river
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. object — an aim
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. object — a thing
  9. scale — in music
  10. bank — for money
  11. deal — to handle
  12. object — to protest
  13. root — of a word
  14. rule — a law
  15. root — the cause
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. pound — a weight
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. scale — size or range
  21. last — final
  22. root — of a plant
  23. last — to go on
  24. bank — for money

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