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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 124 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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. chair — a leader
  7. tear — from crying
  8. dip — to sink
  9. lean — to bend
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. drill — army training
  13. shower — to wash
  14. drill — the tool
  15. tear — to rip
  16. lean — thin
  17. branch — a division
  18. tear — from crying
  19. shower — rain
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. drill — a practice
  24. ruler — for measuring

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