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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. object — an aim
  3. rule — a law
  4. bank — for money
  5. spring — a coil
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. spring — the season
  8. saw — the tool
  9. kid — child
  10. bank — of a river
  11. foot — a measure
  12. spring — of water
  13. bank — for money
  14. rule — government
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. pass — a permit
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. object — a thing
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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