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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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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. land — to come down
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. pop — soda
  6. pop — to visit
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bank — for money
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. land — ground
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. row — a line
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. land — a country
  17. bank — of a river
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. pop — music
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. row — to paddle
  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