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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. chest — a box
  3. chest — of your body
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. branch — a division
  6. drill — a practice
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. bound — obliged
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. bound — tied together
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. chest — of your body
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. pop — music
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. bound — certain
  17. drill — the tool
  18. pound — a weight
  19. drill — army training
  20. pop — to visit
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — moving air
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. pop — soda

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