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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. row — to paddle
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. row — a line
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. rest — what's left
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. mine — for digging
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. perch — the fish
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. rule — government
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. rest — a break
  23. branch — a division
  24. rest — what's left

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