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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: clip · rule · staff · capital · ruler · branch · saw · mine

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. mine — for digging
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — a stick
  5. clip — for paper
  6. saw — the tool
  7. staff — employees
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. clip — a video
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. branch — a division
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. clip — to cut
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. capital — money
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. rule — a law
  24. capital — a city

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