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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 116 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: patient · bank · rule · tear · trunk · row · cabinet · season

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. bank — for money
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. rule — a law
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. row — a line
  8. rule — government
  9. tear — from crying
  10. season — in sport
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. bank — of a river
  14. season — of the year
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. tear — from crying
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. row — to paddle
  22. bank — for money
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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