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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. game — wild animals
  3. band — a ring
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. club — for dancing
  6. tear — from crying
  7. game — a match
  8. tear — to rip
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. band — a music group
  14. club — a group
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. club — for golf
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. rule — a law
  20. stem — to come from
  21. tear — from crying
  22. hand — in cards
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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