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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. branch — a division
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. file — a document
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. wake — a trail
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. cold — not warm
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. key — in music
  13. file — a tool
  14. key — for a lock
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. key — the most important part
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. file — a line of people
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. cold — an illness

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