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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. rule — a law
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. capital — a city
  5. firm — a company
  6. mug — to rob
  7. race — the arms race
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. bank — for money
  11. mug — a cup
  12. race — humankind
  13. capital — money
  14. rule — government
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. race — a contest
  18. rash — a series
  19. firm — decided
  20. firm — steady
  21. mug — a face
  22. bank — for money
  23. wax — to grow
  24. rash — hasty

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