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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 116 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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. branch — a division
  4. lean — thin
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. board — to get on
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cold — not warm
  10. rush — hurry
  11. board — a committee
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. cell — a phone
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. cold — an illness
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. lean — to bend
  19. cell — in biology
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. deal — a big deal

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