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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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Word bank
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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: chest · rule · bore · rest · fine · march · bank · scale

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fine — all right
  3. bank — of a river
  4. bank — for money
  5. bore — to drill
  6. chest — of your body
  7. scale — size or range
  8. march — the month
  9. rule — government
  10. rest — what's left
  11. chest — of your body
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. march — music
  14. chest — a box
  15. scale — in music
  16. march — the month
  17. bore — to tire
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. rest — a break
  20. rule — a law
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. bank — for money
  24. bore — gave birth

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