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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. rock — music
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. rock — a stone
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. rest — a break
  9. cold — an illness
  10. chip — to eat
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. chip — for betting
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bank — for money
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. cold — not warm
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stem — to come from
  21. bank — of a river
  22. rest — what's left
  23. game — wild animals
  24. game — a match

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