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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. bank — of a river
  3. spell — a short time
  4. sharp — clever
  5. rule — a law
  6. bank — for money
  7. cell — a phone
  8. branch — a division
  9. spell — letters
  10. lean — thin
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. lean — to bend
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. bank — for money
  17. pound — a weight
  18. cell — in biology
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. spell — magic
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. rule — government
  24. cell — in a prison

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