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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. rash — a series
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. rash — hasty
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. field — for sport
  8. field — a subject
  9. field — farmland
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. mine — for digging
  13. branch — a division
  14. degree — an amount
  15. saw — the tool
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. degree — from a university
  18. degree — temperature
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. fan — a supporter

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