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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 120 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 chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. chest — of your body
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. chest — a box
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. branch — a division
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. spell — magic
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — a coil
  16. rule — a law
  17. row — a line
  18. rule — government
  19. spell — a short time
  20. chest — of your body
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. spring — the season
  23. row — to paddle
  24. spell — letters

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