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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. scale — size or range
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. wound — an injury
  7. rush — hurry
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. branch — a division
  10. spring — the season
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. scale — in music
  13. spring — a coil
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. mate — a partner
  18. mate — a friend
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. wound — an injury
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. spring — of water
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wake — a trail

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