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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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. march — the month
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. prune — to trim
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. field — a subject
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. field — for sport
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. prune — to trim
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. march — the month
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. branch — a division
  22. march — music
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. field — farmland

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