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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. snap — to click
  4. branch — a division
  5. fine — high quality
  6. spell — magic
  7. court — for sport
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. court — of law
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — to trim
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. spell — a short time
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. saw — the tool
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. court — of a king
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. spell — letters
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. branch — of a bank

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