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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: bank · current · ruler · spell · key · tear · cold · rule

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. spell — a short time
  4. key — the most important part
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. bank — for money
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. cold — not warm
  9. rule — government
  10. current — electric
  11. key — for a lock
  12. current — of water
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — from crying
  16. key — in music
  17. spell — letters
  18. bank — for money
  19. cold — an illness
  20. current — happening now
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. rule — a law
  23. tear — to rip
  24. bank — of a river

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