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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. scale — size or range
  4. current — of water
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rule — a law
  14. rule — government
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. current — happening now
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — of a river
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. current — electric
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. scale — in music

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