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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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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: pass · rule · mine · pitcher · stock · cold · bank · rock

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. bank — of a river
  5. bank — for money
  6. rock — music
  7. rock — a stone
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bank — for money
  10. stock — shares
  11. stock — goods
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. rule — government
  20. cold — not warm
  21. mine — for digging
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. pass — a permit
  24. rule — a law

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