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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  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. cell — in a prison
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. rule — a law
  4. march — the month
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. branch — a division
  7. cell — in biology
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. cell — a phone
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. bear — the animal
  16. rule — government
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. march — the month
  20. deal — to handle
  21. march — music
  22. bear — the animal
  23. mine — for digging
  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