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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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. hand — in cards
  5. current — of water
  6. date — the fruit
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. fall — the season
  10. land — to come down
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. current — happening now
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. hand — help
  15. fall — to drop
  16. branch — a division
  17. land — ground
  18. fall — to drop
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. current — electric
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. row — to paddle
  23. land — a country
  24. row — a line

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