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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. wind — moving air
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. branch — a division
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. wind — moving air
  13. tear — to rip
  14. rash — a series
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. rash — hasty
  17. tear — from crying
  18. object — to protest
  19. bear — the animal
  20. tear — from crying
  21. object — a thing
  22. bear — the animal
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. branch — of a tree

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