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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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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: rule · sharp · mine · fall · board · rash · bank · spell

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. board — a committee
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. mine — for digging
  6. bank — for money
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. spell — letters
  9. rule — a law
  10. spell — a short time
  11. rash — a series
  12. board — to get on
  13. fall — the season
  14. bank — of a river
  15. sharp — clever
  16. bank — for money
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. spell — magic
  20. fall — to drop
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. rule — government
  24. fall — to drop

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