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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. ground — a position
  3. craft — boats
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. rock — a stone
  6. spring — a coil
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. deal — to handle
  10. rule — a law
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. club — a group
  13. spring — the season
  14. ground — crushed
  15. rock — music
  16. branch — a division
  17. club — for golf
  18. club — for dancing
  19. spring — of water
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. craft — a skill
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. ground — the earth

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