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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. rest — a break
  3. fork — in a road
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bank — of a river
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. bank — for money
  9. stock — shares
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. kid — child
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. rule — government
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — of water
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. kid — to tease
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. spring — a coil
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. rest — what's left
  23. stock — goods
  24. rule — a law

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