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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: race · deal · land · rule · mate · arm · spring · bank

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. spring — of water
  3. spring — a coil
  4. mate — a friend
  5. rule — a law
  6. rule — government
  7. bank — of a river
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — ground
  10. bank — for money
  11. race — a contest
  12. bank — for money
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. mate — a partner
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. mate — to breed
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. spring — the season
  19. deal — to handle
  20. race — the arms race
  21. land — a country
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. arm — part of the body

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