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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 120 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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. spring — the season
  3. spring — of water
  4. last — finally
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. last — to go on
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. bank — for money
  9. bank — for money
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. spring — a coil
  12. perch — the fish
  13. face — to point toward
  14. rule — a law
  15. wake — a trail
  16. ball — a great time
  17. bank — of a river
  18. ball — a dance
  19. face — part of the head
  20. last — final
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. face — to confront
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. rule — government

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