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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. bank — of a river
  4. wind — moving air
  5. rule — a law
  6. wind — moving air
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — a tin
  9. root — the cause
  10. field — a subject
  11. bank — for money
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. root — of a word
  14. degree — an amount
  15. degree — from a university
  16. field — farmland
  17. degree — temperature
  18. row — to paddle
  19. root — of a plant
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. field — for sport
  22. row — a line
  23. can — to be able to
  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