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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. branch — a division
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. pop — music
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. pop — to visit
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. band — a music group
  18. hand — help
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. band — a ring
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. pop — soda
  23. hand — in cards
  24. game — a match

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