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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bank — for money
  4. bank — for money
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. rule — government
  10. mine — for digging
  11. vault — a safe
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wound — an injury
  15. chair — a leader
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. rule — a law
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bank — of a river
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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