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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. foot — a measure
  3. drill — army training
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. drill — a practice
  6. branch — a division
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. spring — of water
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. spring — the season
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. spring — a coil
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — to trim
  24. drill — the tool

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