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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. drill — the tool
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. pop — to visit
  5. branch — a division
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. row — to paddle
  11. wind — moving air
  12. spring — the season
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. drill — army training
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. spring — a coil
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. spring — of water
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. wind — moving air
  22. drill — a practice
  23. row — a line
  24. pop — music

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