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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: bank · wound · plane · swing · object · march · cold · rule

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. wound — an injury
  3. plane — a tool
  4. swing — in golf
  5. march — the month
  6. object — to protest
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. object — a thing
  9. wound — an injury
  10. march — the month
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. cold — not warm
  13. cold — an illness
  14. object — an aim
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. rule — a law
  17. march — music
  18. swing — to play on
  19. bank — of a river
  20. swing — music
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. bank — for money
  24. bank — for money

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