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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. rule — a law
  4. branch — a division
  5. rule — government
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. tube — a container
  9. content — the amount
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mine — for digging
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. tear — to rip
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. tube — the underground
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. content — happy
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. wind — moving air
  24. tear — from crying

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