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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 cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. current — happening now
  4. bank — for money
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. cell — a phone
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — to rip
  10. rule — government
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bank — of a river
  14. rule — a law
  15. land — ground
  16. cell — in biology
  17. season — of the year
  18. land — a country
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. season — in sport
  21. bank — for money
  22. current — of water
  23. land — to come down
  24. current — electric

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