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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. branch — a division
  3. rule — a law
  4. shower — rain
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. craft — a skill
  7. craft — boats
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. pit — a hole
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. pit — in a race
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. rule — government
  17. prune — to trim
  18. shower — to wash
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. wind — moving air
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. craft — a handicraft

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