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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: track · pitcher · row · hide · bank · spring · cell · rule

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. row — a line
  3. cell — a phone
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. spring — a coil
  7. bank — for money
  8. track — to keep track
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. spring — of water
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. cell — in biology
  14. rule — a law
  15. track — a song
  16. rule — government
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. bank — of a river
  19. spring — the season
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. bank — for money
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. track — a path
  24. row — to paddle

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