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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 120 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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. land — ground
  3. season — of the year
  4. land — a country
  5. branch — a division
  6. cue — for pool
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. season — in sport
  9. land — to come down
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. fork — in a road
  12. saw — the tool
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. cue — a hint
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. saw — the tool
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. cue — a signal
  23. wax — to grow
  24. ruler — for measuring

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