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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. bank — for money
  4. season — of the year
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. rule — government
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. season — in sport
  9. wake — a trail
  10. file — a line of people
  11. bank — of a river
  12. rule — a law
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. file — a tool
  15. prune — to trim
  16. row — to paddle
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. row — a line
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. prune — to trim
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. file — a document
  24. bank — for money

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