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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 116 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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. branch — a division
  3. kid — to tease
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. saw — the tool
  6. land — ground
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. capital — money
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. land — a country
  16. suit — clothes
  17. wake — a trail
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. capital — a city
  20. land — to come down
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. kid — child
  23. saw — the tool
  24. suit — to fit

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