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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: rock · straw · ruler · cold · safe · toast · court · branch

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. rock — music
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. cold — not warm
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. court — for sport
  10. cold — an illness
  11. toast — bread
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. court — of a king
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. rock — a stone
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. court — of law
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. branch — of a bank

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