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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. branch — a division
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. scale — size or range
  6. row — to paddle
  7. row — a line
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. tear — to rip
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mine — for digging
  13. cap — of ice
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. cap — a lid
  16. cap — a hat
  17. scale — in music
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. tear — from crying
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. tear — from crying

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