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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. rule — government
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. rule — a law
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. branch — a division
  9. wind — moving air
  10. land — to come down
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. rash — a series
  13. mark — a grade
  14. rash — hasty
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. mark — a trace
  17. land — ground
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. land — a country
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. wind — moving air

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