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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. object — a thing
  6. object — to protest
  7. staff — employees
  8. bore — to tire
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. kid — to tease
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. last — finally
  13. last — to go on
  14. fork — in a road
  15. bore — to drill
  16. kid — child
  17. staff — a stick
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. last — final
  21. staff — employees
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. object — an aim
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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