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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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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: racket · cell · root · spring · safe · rule · bank · cold

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — of a river
  3. cell — a phone
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. spring — of water
  10. root — of a word
  11. spring — a coil
  12. root — of a plant
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. rule — a law
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. rule — government
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. bank — for money
  20. cold — not warm
  21. root — the cause
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. spring — the season
  24. cell — in biology

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