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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. rash — a series
  3. bank — of a river
  4. rule — government
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. bank — for money
  8. stem — to come from
  9. rule — a law
  10. march — the month
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. court — of law
  13. march — music
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. rash — hasty
  16. bank — for money
  17. court — for sport
  18. march — the month
  19. race — a contest
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. race — humankind
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. court — of a king
  24. race — the arms race

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