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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ruler · race · kick · rush · branch · fork

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. rush — hurry
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. race — humankind
  5. branch — a division
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. fork — in a road
  12. race — the arms race
  13. race — a contest
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. kick — in football
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ruler — a monarch

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