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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: wind · rule · mark · last · cell · bank · pound · can

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. last — finally
  3. mark — a trace
  4. bank — for money
  5. rule — government
  6. last — to go on
  7. wind — moving air
  8. mark — a grade
  9. pound — a weight
  10. wind — moving air
  11. cell — in biology
  12. rule — a law
  13. cell — a phone
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. bank — of a river
  16. last — final
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — to be able to
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. bank — for money

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