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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: mate · land · branch · saw · row · lie · spell · rule

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. spell — a short time
  3. row — to paddle
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. rule — a law
  7. mate — a partner
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. land — ground
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. lie — to recline
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. rule — government
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. saw — the tool
  16. spell — letters
  17. mate — to breed
  18. mate — a friend
  19. land — to come down
  20. spell — magic
  21. land — a country
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. saw — the tool
  24. branch — a division

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