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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bank — for money
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. stand — to bear
  10. bank — for money
  11. rule — a law
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. toast — bread
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. date — the fruit
  16. last — final
  17. last — to go on
  18. rule — government
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. last — finally
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. wind — moving air

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