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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: wind · fan · bowl · bank · rule · chair · pop · racket

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. rule — a law
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. bank — of a river
  6. wind — moving air
  7. rule — government
  8. pop — music
  9. wind — moving air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. chair — a leader
  15. pop — soda
  16. pop — to visit
  17. bank — for money
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. bank — for money
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. chair — a professorship

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