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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. wind — moving air
  3. scale — size or range
  4. capital — money
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. branch — a division
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. scale — in music
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. capital — a city
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bank — for money
  14. wind — moving air
  15. perch — the fish
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — of a river
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. ruler — for measuring

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