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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. fine — all right
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. cue — a signal
  6. cue — a hint
  7. prune — to trim
  8. squash — to crush
  9. fine — high quality
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. stock — shares
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — for digging
  16. stock — goods
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. cue — for pool
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. squash — the sport
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. prune — to trim
  24. branch — a division

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