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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. march — music
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lean — to bend
  6. rash — a series
  7. snap — to click
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. lie — to recline
  13. capital — a city
  14. capital — money
  15. branch — a division
  16. march — the month
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. march — the month
  23. lean — thin
  24. lean — to rest against

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