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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. rule — a law
  3. prune — to trim
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. land — ground
  6. bank — of a river
  7. prune — to trim
  8. rule — government
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. bank — for money
  12. land — a country
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. foot — a measure
  17. dip — to sink
  18. bank — for money
  19. land — to come down
  20. band — a ring
  21. band — a music group
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. rule — to rule out

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