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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. rule — government
  3. row — a line
  4. club — a group
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. row — to paddle
  7. rule — a law
  8. bank — for money
  9. club — for dancing
  10. bank — of a river
  11. clip — a video
  12. track — to keep track
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. bank — for money
  16. clip — for paper
  17. stem — to come from
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. club — for golf
  20. track — a song
  21. clip — to cut
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. track — a path
  24. bore — to drill

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