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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: stick · plane · rule · chair · bank · pitcher · race · cell

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. race — a contest
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. bank — for money
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. race — humankind
  9. rule — a law
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cell — in biology
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. chair — a leader
  19. plane — a tool
  20. race — the arms race
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bank — for money
  23. rule — government
  24. pitcher — a jug

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