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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: bat · content · roll · branch · bank · rest · bark · ruler

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. roll — a list
  3. roll — a cake
  4. bank — for money
  5. content — happy
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. rest — a break
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. branch — a division
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bank — for money
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. rest — what's left
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. content — the amount
  22. rest — what's left
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. bat — the animal

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