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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. pound — a weight
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. hand — help
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. branch — a division
  20. capital — a city
  21. hand — in cards
  22. capital — money
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. hand — part of the body

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