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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: chest · board · key · rule · deal · pitcher · bank · spring

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  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. deal — an agreement
  2. bank — for money
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. deal — to handle
  5. bank — of a river
  6. spring — the season
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. chest — a box
  11. key — the most important part
  12. bank — for money
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. spring — a coil
  16. board — to get on
  17. key — for a lock
  18. key — in music
  19. rule — a law
  20. board — a committee
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. spring — of water
  23. rule — to rule out
  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