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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. branch — a division
  3. chip — to eat
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. object — an aim
  6. drill — a practice
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. object — a thing
  9. drill — the tool
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. sharp — clever
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. chip — for betting
  21. drill — army training
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. bark — to shout
  24. ruler — a monarch

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