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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  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. pop — to visit
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. chip — to eat
  4. fall — to drop
  5. spring — the season
  6. rule — government
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. file — a document
  9. bank — for money
  10. fall — the season
  11. pop — music
  12. file — a tool
  13. pop — soda
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. file — a line of people
  16. branch — a division
  17. chip — for betting
  18. spring — of water
  19. fall — to drop
  20. spring — a coil
  21. rule — a law
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. bank — of a river
  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