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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bank · object · race · rule · face · spring

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. face — part of the head
  3. spring — a coil
  4. face — to point toward
  5. rule — a law
  6. race — a contest
  7. bank — for money
  8. object — a thing
  9. face — to confront
  10. spring — of water
  11. rule — government
  12. object — an aim
  13. object — to protest
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bank — for money
  16. spring — the season
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. race — the arms race

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