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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — a break
  3. rule — a law
  4. bank — for money
  5. bound — certain
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — for digging
  8. rest — what's left
  9. stock — shares
  10. rule — government
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. bound — obliged
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. stem — to come from
  15. bank — for money
  16. bank — of a river
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. bound — tied together
  19. pass — a permit
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. stock — goods
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. pass — to spend time

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