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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 chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. last — finally
  3. spring — of water
  4. cold — an illness
  5. bank — for money
  6. last — to go on
  7. rule — government
  8. rule — a law
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. last — final
  11. spring — the season
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bank — for money
  15. wax — to grow
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. bank — of a river
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. game — wild animals
  20. cold — not warm
  21. bulb — for light
  22. game — a match
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. spring — a coil

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