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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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Word bank
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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: lie · rule · last · branch · squash · fine · land · drill

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. squash — to crush
  6. last — to go on
  7. squash — the sport
  8. last — finally
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. land — ground
  11. branch — a division
  12. drill — the tool
  13. lie — to recline
  14. fine — all right
  15. drill — a practice
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. rule — government
  18. fine — high quality
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. land — to come down
  22. last — final
  23. drill — army training
  24. rule — a law

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