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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. bank — for money
  4. object — to protest
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — employees
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. tear — to rip
  12. object — a thing
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. object — an aim
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bank — for money
  21. bank — of a river
  22. rule — government
  23. wake — a trail
  24. staff — a stick

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