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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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. spring — a coil
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. chest — a box
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. branch — a division
  9. chest — of your body
  10. spring — the season
  11. wound — an injury
  12. chest — of your body
  13. band — a music group
  14. band — a ring
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. spring — of water

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