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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 116 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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  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. rule — a law
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. bank — for money
  5. bank — of a river
  6. branch — a division
  7. file — a tool
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. firm — a company
  10. firm — steady
  11. game — a match
  12. firm — decided
  13. file — a document
  14. game — wild animals
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. bank — for money
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. rule — government
  23. file — a line of people
  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