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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. bark — to shout
  5. march — the month
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. fine — high quality
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. fine — all right
  15. branch — a division
  16. march — music
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. march — the month
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. wind — moving air
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. mine — for digging

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