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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. tear — from crying
  5. fork — in a road
  6. bank — for money
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. field — for sport
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. field — farmland
  15. rule — a law
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. bank — for money
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. branch — a division
  21. field — a subject
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bank — of a river
  24. tear — to rip

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