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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. drill — the tool
  3. spell — letters
  4. pound — a weight
  5. bulb — for light
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. drill — a practice
  8. track — a song
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. bulb — for light
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. branch — a division
  14. track — a path
  15. spell — magic
  16. track — to keep track
  17. game — a match
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. drill — army training
  22. spell — a short time
  23. game — wild animals
  24. bulb — of a plant

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