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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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. branch — a division
  3. squash — to crush
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — to rip
  6. lean — thin
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. squash — the sport
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. field — a subject
  11. lean — to bend
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. fork — in a road
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. field — for sport
  19. tear — from crying
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. field — farmland
  24. lean — to rest against

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