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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. last — finally
  3. ball — a great time
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. pop — to visit
  7. rule — a law
  8. file — a line of people
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. stem — to come from
  11. lean — to bend
  12. file — a document
  13. pop — music
  14. file — a tool
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. bank — for money
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. lean — thin
  19. bank — of a river
  20. ball — a dance
  21. pop — soda
  22. bank — for money
  23. last — to go on
  24. last — final

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