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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 120 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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. last — to go on
  5. rule — government
  6. bank — of a river
  7. last — final
  8. prune — to trim
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. bank — for money
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. mine — for digging
  16. last — finally
  17. bank — for money
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. dip — to sink
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. prune — to trim
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. dip — a sauce

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