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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cold — an illness
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. rule — government
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. band — a music group
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. bore — to tire
  10. cold — not warm
  11. ball — a great time
  12. branch — a division
  13. spell — magic
  14. band — a ring
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. bore — to drill
  18. spell — a short time
  19. spell — letters
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. rule — a law
  24. ball — a dance

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