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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. bank — of a river
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. clip — to cut
  6. spell — a short time
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. spell — magic
  9. object — a thing
  10. spell — letters
  11. object — an aim
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — for money
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. clip — for paper
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. rule — government
  20. rash — a series
  21. clip — a video
  22. object — to protest
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. arm — part of the body

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