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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wind — moving air
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. mug — to rob
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. wind — moving air
  11. mug — a cup
  12. rush — hurry
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cold — not warm
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. mug — a face
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. cold — an illness
  20. wake — a trail
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. branch — a division
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. rush — a thrill

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