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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. tear — to rip
  3. content — the amount
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. bank — for money
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. stock — shares
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. branch — a division
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bank — of a river
  15. squash — to crush
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. stock — goods
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. rush — hurry
  21. bank — for money
  22. tear — from crying
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. content — happy

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