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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. bank — for money
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bank — for money
  5. bound — obliged
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bound — certain
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bound — tied together
  11. staff — employees
  12. mine — for digging
  13. wax — to grow
  14. staff — employees
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bank — of a river
  20. rest — a break
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. rule — a law
  23. rule — government
  24. mine — belonging to me

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