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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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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: drill · prune · branch · ruler · bat · foot · rush · staff

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. foot — a measure
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. staff — employees
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. drill — army training
  15. staff — a stick
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. staff — employees
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. drill — a practice
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. prune — to trim
  23. branch — a division
  24. foot — the bottom

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