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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. season — in sport
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. saw — the tool
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. mine — for digging
  10. drill — a practice
  11. lean — thin
  12. drill — army training
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. lean — to bend
  16. saw — the tool
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. season — of the year
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ball — a great time
  23. drill — the tool
  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