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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — of a river
  4. saw — the tool
  5. rule — government
  6. spring — a coil
  7. bank — for money
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. degree — an amount
  10. rule — a law
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. degree — temperature
  13. spring — of water
  14. degree — from a university
  15. mate — to breed
  16. wake — a trail
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mate — a partner
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — of your body
  21. spring — the season
  22. chest — a box
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. saw — the tool

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