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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. cold — an illness
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. bank — of a river
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. board — a committee
  11. board — to get on
  12. cold — not warm
  13. capital — money
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. pass — a permit
  17. bank — for money
  18. stem — to come from
  19. capital — a city
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. rule — government
  22. rule — a law
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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