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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. spring — of water
  3. rule — government
  4. bank — for money
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. bank — of a river
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. spring — a coil
  13. mine — for digging
  14. game — a match
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. rule — a law
  17. game — wild animals
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. perch — the fish
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. spring — the season
  23. bank — for money
  24. mine — an explosive

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