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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. prune — to trim
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. band — a music group
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. field — for sport
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. field — a subject
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. band — a ring
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. field — farmland
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. rule — a law
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. mine — for digging
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. wind — to turn a key

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