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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. branch — a division
  4. march — music
  5. tube — a container
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tear — from crying
  9. mug — a cup
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. tear — from crying
  14. rule — a law
  15. mug — to rob
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. date — the fruit
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. march — the month
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. tube — the underground
  22. rule — government
  23. march — the month
  24. rule — to rule out

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