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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: rock · court · ground · branch · bank · file · net · rule

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. file — a document
  3. file — a line of people
  4. court — of a king
  5. bank — of a river
  6. rule — a law
  7. court — of law
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. branch — a division
  10. bank — for money
  11. file — a tool
  12. net — after costs
  13. bank — for money
  14. rule — government
  15. ground — crushed
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. ground — a position
  19. net — in sport
  20. rock — a stone
  21. net — for catching
  22. court — for sport
  23. ground — the earth
  24. rock — music

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