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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. band — a ring
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. stand — to bear
  6. spring — a coil
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. wax — to grow
  13. spring — of water
  14. band — a music group
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. spring — the season
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. saw — the tool
  19. branch — a division
  20. rule — a law
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. saw — the tool
  24. band — a rubber band

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