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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: mate · rule · bank · field · wound · mug · rash · kid

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. bank — of a river
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. mate — to breed
  6. rash — hasty
  7. kid — to tease
  8. mug — to rob
  9. mug — a cup
  10. rule — a law
  11. bank — for money
  12. mate — a partner
  13. wound — an injury
  14. field — for sport
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bank — for money
  17. rash — a series
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. rule — government
  20. mate — a friend
  21. field — farmland
  22. field — a subject
  23. kid — child
  24. mug — a face

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