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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: trunk · tear · mug · file · land · pass · bank · rule

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — ground
  3. mug — a cup
  4. pass — a permit
  5. bank — of a river
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. rule — a law
  8. land — a country
  9. bank — for money
  10. file — a line of people
  11. bank — for money
  12. file — a tool
  13. tear — from crying
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. tear — to rip
  17. mug — a face
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. tear — from crying
  21. file — a document
  22. mug — to rob
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. rule — government

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