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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: squash · ruler · bear · branch · race · present · spring · drill

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. squash — the sport
  3. present — the time now
  4. drill — a practice
  5. spring — the season
  6. present — a gift
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. squash — to crush
  9. drill — the tool
  10. present — there
  11. branch — a division
  12. race — humankind
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. spring — a coil
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. drill — army training
  18. race — the arms race
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. bear — the animal
  22. spring — of water
  23. bear — the animal
  24. race — a contest

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