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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: race · branch · mark · bowl · drill · hide · ruler · roll

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. roll — a cake
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. race — humankind
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. race — a contest
  7. drill — army training
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. branch — a division
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. drill — the tool
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. race — the arms race
  17. roll — a list
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mark — a grade
  20. drill — a practice
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. roll — on a roll

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